Jack Was Here: Showing you the places Jack Kerouac once was

Jack Kerouac was here. He came here and wrote about it in On the Road, his most enduring work, and fell in love with Denver to the extent that, at one point, he actually bought a house in Lakewood. Yes, Kerouac was indeed here, but one thing that will not…

Art with a Plan

Samuel Schimek and Rob Mack are local artists with a commercial streak, and they’ve ingeniously wrapped their collaborative installation, Microclimates, into a kind of artsy business plan, with its own website and social-media persona. It started out early this year with a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign, which has now segued…

Let Freedom Run

Uncle Sam wants you to make a run for it at the family-friendly Liberty Run 4 Mile Run/Walk, starting at 8:30 a.m. in Washington Park, 1000 South Downing Street, where patriotic costumes have become as integral to the annual event as the race itself. “We really try to make it…

O’er the Land of the Free

On July 4, 1911, less than two months after the Colorado National Monument received its official designation as the newest feather in the cap of the National Park Service, park superintendent John Otto climbed 450 feet to the top of the canyon’s most iconic sandstone monolith and – planting an…

Bird Watch

Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon has not only been cited as one of the greatest films of all time, but it’s also considered one of the first major works of film noir and the movie that made Humphrey Bogart a star. With its dark shadows,…

Double Image

Simultaneously preparing for two different art shows can’t be easy, but that’s what artist Joseph Findeiss did to get ready for the openings of Repetitious and Repro Redux, both of which feature different art in entirely different mediums. Repetitious will include Findeiss’s three-dimensional assemblage woodwork and art. These handcrafted works…

Rally Round the Flag

Four Mile Historic Park goes all out in Civil War style today for the Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Festival, a celebration of independence and Western American tradition. A real-life Abe Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Uncle Sam will join the site’s usual cadre of costumed settlers for a day of wagon…

The Bombs Bursting in Air

For the biggest display of patriotic pyrotechnics in the state, don’t miss the Colorado Rapids 4thFest show at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, 6000 Victory Way in Commerce City, where relatively lax noise and air-space restrictions and a partnership with Zambelli Fireworks Internationale make for an explosive combination. The Rapids (Major…

The Drama inside the Drama

In its time, Gone with the Wind was the most elaborate spectacle ever put to film (which is impressive, considering that the most elaborate spectacles we have going these days are Michael Bay flicks), but you don’t pull off that kind of technical and theatrical feat with just a wink…

Let It Grow

Growing plants in a Denver apartment can seem like an impossible task — but it doesn’t have to be. Writer Gayla Trail visits the Denver Botanic Gardens today to talk about creating a garden in even the tiniest living quarters with tips from her new book, Grow Great Grub: Organic…

Of Ink and Art

Adam Rose and his tattoo shop, Fallen Owl Tattoo in Lakewood, have been involved with several Colorado charities over the years — and 2011 is no different. The guys and gals at Fallen Owl are teaming up with nine other tattoos shops around the metro area to raise money for…

The Outlaws’ Orange Glare

The Denver Outlaws lacrosse team started its 2011 season with a bang, going undefeated in its first handful of games, and will clash with rivals the Boston Cannons tonight at 7 p.m. before the big fireworks show at Invesco Field at Mile High. “We like to say there will be…

Tour de Breck

Last year, the League of American Bicyclists awarded Breckenridge its Silver-Level Bicycle-Friendly Community status. Now Breck’s going for the gold: Breck Bike Week gets under way today with a 7:30 a.m. Tour de France viewing party, all-day demos and guided “Tour de Town Trails” excursions starting at 10 a.m. Other…

City Lights

Last year, the Civic Center Conservancy expected 5,000 people to attend the inaugural Civic Center Independence Eve celebration. Instead, 25,000 showed up. “We think that number will grow significantly this year,” says the Conservancy’s executive director, Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, “so we want to make sure that it is the highest-quality…

Purple Mountain Majesties

Fourth of July festivities in Breckenridge fire up at 7 a.m. for the fifth annual Independence Day 10K Trail Run, which starts and finishes in Carter Park ($25 pre-registration at www.townofbreckenridge.com or $30 on race day). Afterward, catch the 9:30 a.m. start of the Firecracker 50 mountain-bike race – the…

Kick Loose at Freedom Fest

The first-ever Rocky Mountain Freedom Festival kicks off at the Douglas County Fairgrounds and Events Center tonight with live music, carnival rides, fireworks and the sweet smell of a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned competition. But beyond the good grub and summertime entertainment, this three-day event is also a fundraiser for…

Up a Creek

Cherry Creek North isn’t known for being particularly shocking (unless you’re counting price tags), but this year, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival aims to be just that. Sort of. The pièce de résistance of this year’s diverse lineup is artist Phil Hansen, who’s made a significant name for himself creating…

Green Machine

Between the Meatless Monday movement and endless PETA campaigns, plant-based diets have more presence in the collective consciousness than ever before. And the 2011 VegFest will celebrate all things vegetarian and vegan, with speakers, cooking demonstrations, food samples, vendors, kids’ activities, a farmers’ market and much more. Colleen Goudreau, one…

Poco a Poco

With all of the fireworks displays happening around town tonight, it might be hard to pick just one place to celebrate the Fourth of July. But Hudson Gardens, 6115 Santa Fe Drive in Littleton, has got some of the best seats in the house, with a patriotic show happening right…

Monkee Business

Tonight, The Monkees bring their irresistible goofiness to the Paramount Theatre stage as part of the group’s 45th Anniversary Tour. The pop-culture icons will be celebrating not only an entire catalogue of chart-topping hits — like “I’m a Believer” and “Pleasant Valley Sun-day” — but the band’s rarities, too. Though…