Book Bonanza

Despite the growing popularity of digital print media, nothing beats a personal library filled with books. Indulge your inner bibliophile on the cheap today when the Denver Public Library kicks off its 33rd annual Used Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year, the event is moving back…

Mr. Nice Guy

It’s a sad truth: There are a lot of bad guys out there. Guys who steal, guys who kill, guys who break girls’ hearts. Sometimes it seems as though the good guys are nonexistent, but they’re out there — they’re just not always easy to find. And who can blame…

Welcome Wagon

Dr. Neal Baer, a Denver native and executive producer of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, became interested in participant photography when he met Jim Hubbard, who in the late 1980s gave cameras to homeless kids and taught them how to photograph their lives. Baer wanted to do the same…

Alley Salad

Denver’s alleys are full of character, but they’re also full of delicious and nutritious edible herbs and plants — enough, in fact, to make what herbalist Tonja Reichley calls an “alley salad.” The owner of Moondance Botanicals, 601 Corona Street, Reichley leads an Urban Foraging expedition today from Denver Botanic…

Getting Around Oil

The topic of tonight’s Chautauqua forum, “The Future of Transportation: How Will We Get Around When Cheap Oil is Gone?” is more relevant than ever, even though the “when” might already be outdated. People like Karen Worminghaus, co-founder of Boulder CarShare, see a silver lining to soaring gas prices: It…

Fat Chance

Accompanying a proud self-proclamation as one of the birthplaces of mountain biking, Crested Butte has announced the schedule for its annual Fat Tire Bike Week, which takes place today through June 22. The beginning of the festivities will be boosted by an increased population, courtesy of a coinciding stop by…

Art on the Rise

Since 2005, the burgeoning East End Arts District has held biannual art walks to showcase the reinvented neighborhood and its new wares. But this summer, the strip of East Colfax Avenue that runs from Dallas to Havana Streets — otherwise known as the East End — is “bursting at the…

Giddy Up

The members of Knoxville, Tennessee’s Yee-Haw Industries have been blurring the lines between art and design for more than a decade. Displaying a certain sly, self-deprecating humor, they call their works “art-like products.” Despite the disclaimer, however, these distinctive, handmade letter-press prints are as appealing and attractive as anything hanging…

Angels Among Us

I am an admittedly biased source when it comes to Project Angel Heart. Every other Saturday, I spend a few hours delivering the organization’s meals to locals living with life-threatening illnesses. So I’ve seen with my own eyes how Project Angel Heart affects people’s lives for the better. I’ve received…

RZA

The Backbeat section of Westword’s June 12 edition is dominated by updates and details about the annual Westword Music Showcase, as well it should be. But strange as it might seem, there are other notable musical happenings taking place around town during the week, including a Saturday, June 14 performance…

A Healthy Appreciation

We all know what keeps the masses flocking to Colorado: the Rocky Mountain High — that special brand of adrenaline offered to all active denizens, who take their pick from a wide variety of blood-pumping or leisure activities in the state’s mountains, rivers and parks. Tonight, Abend Gallery, 2260 East…

The Rebirth of Cool

Juneteenth is back. The oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States honors the day when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier. For a long time, Denver boasted one of the nation’s largest Juneteenth…

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a pig?

For Su Teatro, nothing is impossible. Not even flying pigs. The Chicano theater company will present the provocative (and long titled) satire, When Pigs Fly, Men Have Babies, and Peace and Justice Rule the World tonight as part of the National Performing Arts Convention. When the magical Bruja Lady places…

Multi-Tasking Theater

A few months ago, I witnessed multi-tasking in overdrive as a busy guy Rollerbladed, walked his dog and pushed a stroller — all while maintaining an animated conversation on his cell phone — without missing a step. I can’t even drive and change out my CD at the same time,…

Air Heads

When Andy Warhol made that offhand quip about fifteen minutes of fame, he presaged three major developments of the early 21st century: reality television, Tila Tequila and the US Air Guitar Championships. Now in its sixth ridiculous year, USAG’s championship tour — set to storm 23 cities, including Denver and…

Conspiracy to Have Fun

Thinking of checking out Colorado’s gorgeous scenery this summer? Maybe some mountain lakes? Elk? A raging river or three? Go ahead. Have fun. That’s exactly the type of thing THEY want you to do. They being the pleasant little folk known as the CIA, the Illuminati, the corporate/alien overlords and/or…

Souvenirs of South Park

Lots of states claim to be home to the mythical Springfield of Simpsons fame, but only Colorado can brag that it’s the site of that other great cartoon capital of the world: South Park, the setting of the subversively impertinent Comedy Central animated series of the same name. South Park’s…

Welcome to Collywood

As the folks at the Colorado Film Commission will tell you, our fair state offers an incredible variety of potential movie locations: mountains, deserts, farmland, big cities, little towns and so on. And even though we don’t offer Hollywood types — many of whom spend their leisure time at such…

Sports Go to Extremes

In Colorado, it’s easy to go to extremes. So this summer, do something crazy. Ride your mountain bike down a steep, rocky path. Graduate from hiking to climbing. Paddle through a class V rapid. Hurl yourself from an airplane. Soar over a forest while dangling from a steel cable. An…

The Gang’s All Beer

Colorado makes more beer than any other state (23.4 million barrels), has the highest per capita number of craft breweries (92), and is home to both the biggest beer bash of the year (the Great American Beer Festival) and the largest single brewing facility in the nation (Coors). Oh, and…

Take a Hike!

All thoughts of skiing melt away with the arrival of consistently clear skies and warm days, as Denverites head for the hills. If you’re not exactly the climb-a-fourteener-every-weekend type — or if you just don’t want to drive for hours to get to your destination — there are plenty of…

Get in the Swim

Most days, the mountains are a fair trade for Denver’s lack of an ocean. And on those other days when the mercury is really rising, you can beat the heat at nearby pools and water parks. In addition to Denver’s sixteen public outdoor pools (daily rates are $3 for adults…