Years before the entire world got wrapped up in Da Vinci Code fever, I was enthralled by The Eight, a book about a fictional chess service given to Charlemagne that possessed mystical properties. The author, Katherine Neville, follows the tale of the fictional Montglane service when it is unearthed from…

Everyone can agree that firefighters are all heroes — but we don’t really understand exactly what goes on in a fire. You might have seen Backdraft a million times, but it still doesn’t quite capture the feeling of being in the midst of a blaze. “A lot of people know…

What do modern-day hip-hop freestyle battles have in common with Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales? “Nothing,” most people might say, but Baba Brinkman isn’t most people. A native of British Columbia’s tree-planting subculture, Brinkman became enamored with hip-hop at the tender age of eleven. He managed to combine his passion for freestyle…

If you want to see the world through a different lens — have your preconceived notions about society and reality upended and rearranged — then you need to attend one of Vox Feminista’s fantastic performances. It’s tough to explain a Vox show; suffice it to say that the group will…

“Bare is a rock opera similar in style to Rent,” explains Mike Scheneman of Broken Leg Productions. “But Rent follows the story of La Bohème, and this sort of follows the story of Romeo and Juliet. But instead of Romeo and Juliet, it’s a little bit more Romeo and Romeo…

Everyone loves the Great American Beer Festival, and with good reason. But sometimes I find the sheer magnitude of that event overwhelming. Sure, I love watching people make fools of themselves during the Silent Disco, and you do learn a lot at some of those seminar sessions, but you know…

It’s no secret that the Brown Palace Hotel’s annual Champagne Cascade is the most lavish, spectacular way to kick off the holidays. And this year will be even grander: Not only is the Brown Palace cascading earlier than ever in honor of Denver’s 150th birthday, but there will also be…

Hey, wine-drinkers: Do you feel confident in your ability to select a top-notch bottle of European red wine? Think your taste buds trump those of other vinophiles in the metro area? Then you truly won’t want to miss Uncorked 2008, a competitive wine-tasting event hosted by Mile High United Way…

In Pueblo mythology, Corn Mothers were sacred figures who sung the essence of all creation into existence. “About three years ago, my husband brought home this book called When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away,” remembers journalist and photographer Renee Fajardo-Anstine. “It was about the Corn Mothers and the…

There are some movies I can watch over and over again without getting sick of them, but horror movies do not fall under that category. I already know when Michael Myers is going to jump out and frighten the bejesus out of Laurie Strode, and the fact that it really…

If you are unaware that the Democratic National Convention took place in Denver in 1908 — and again in 2008 – well, then, you’re beyond our help and should probably consider investing in some method of mass communication soon (a newspaper or radio would be a good, safe place to…

Looking for a more artsy, unusual way to celebrate Halloween? The holiday might be officially over, but if you’re still in costume-party mode, then look no further than Bad Art for Bad People’s Monster Mash. Featuring music by Dario Rosa, Tijuana Sweetcakes and the Severs, Monster Mash will also incorporate…

What, exactly, is Louis Vuitton Night? “That’s a great question,” says organizer Adam Tinnell. “The show itself is inspired by the anarchist variety shows in Paris in the late 1800s,” he explains, as well as Dada and drag shows in Harlem. “It’s not just a show where you go to…

Have you read this year’s One Book, One Denver selection, Dashiell Hammett’s The Thin Man? What did you think? “There’s a lot of drinking in the book,” notes Gina Rubano of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, “and quite a bit of misogyny, and so we wanted to talk about…

Once upon a time, a woman named Louise Crawford Hill lived in Room 904 of the Brown Palace Hotel. She kept her room in the hotel from 1940 to 1955, ruling over Denver society. Years later, when Mrs. Hill was but a distant memory, renovations were being done to the…

Centuries ago, the Aztecs celebrated their dead for an entire month during the summer; the festivities were overseen by their goddess of the dead, Mictlantecutli, who was often depicted with a skull-like face. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, their Catholic sensibilities merged the Aztec tradition with All Souls’ Day…

It’s becoming increasingly acceptable to dress your pets up for Halloween, but with the plethora of dog-friendly parties popping up in the area, however will you choose which one will best appreciate Fluffy’s exotic-dancer getup? Why not go by sheer altruism? Dr. Edward A. Garcia has spent thousands of dollars…

When the movers and shakers behind Wine Country International magazine — which has been based in Colorado for the past five years — were in Chile, they were asked by the owner of a Chilean winery why all the wine festivals in Colorado take place in the mountains. “We checked,…

Oh, my gosh, will you look at the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails? They are just adorable today! See how that top brings out the colors in their unique LUPEC eyes? How that pair of jeans perfectly hugs those LUPEC curves? And those shoes! I have to…