The British sometimes call cupcakes “fairy cakes.” Maybe that touch of magic explains the recent cupcake renaissance — which you’ll have noticed unless you’ve been hiding your head in the sand for the past two years or so. The term “cupcake” actually began in the nineteenth century, when cupcakes weren’t…
“Nathan’s has its contest on the Fourth of July,” notes Steve Ballas of Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs. “They have official competitors eating 65 hot dogs, and they’ve been doing it for 35 years. I don’t see any reason why we can’t have an event here in Denver that can grow into…
The lineup for the musical act Tijuana Sweetcakes reads like a who’s who of Denver’s cabaret scene: Kim Franco on vocals, piano and percussion; Dario Rosa on vocals and guitar; Jon Gray on vocals, piano and trumpet; Paul Mrozak on vocals and bass; Zack Littlefield on drums; and Jefferson Arca…
The feature film Where God Left His Shoes deals with an issue many people don’t like to think about: family homelessness. “It really helps people understand what it’s like to be homeless when you’re a family,” notes Dana Smith of United Way. “And I think the really different thing about…
Photo by Michael Weintraub At the Mile High Music Festival this weekend and the YarmonyGrass Music Festival at Copper Mountain (August 15 through 17), there will be music — lots of it — vendors and food. And if you can spare a thought for people who can’t afford to purchase…
Last night’s Labyrinth screening at Film on the Rocks was close to magical. I settled in at a prompt 7:30 p.m., preparing for amusement and delight when Ukulele Loki’s Gadabout Orchestra took the stage. The group of annoying, loudmouthed teenagers a few rows behind me (I must be getting old)…
Shopping for vintage and retro clothes can be fun and rewarding, but it can also be frustrating. Like when you find something you absolutely love and purchase it on a whim — only to discover that it doesn’t actually fit. Well, Cynthia Joye has a solution to that problem: a…
Reyna Von Vett didn’t have to look far for inspiration for her brand-new show, Leadville or Bust! She lives in Curtis Park, and “got to talking to some of the members of the Curtis Park community. I was chatting with Ken Miller, who lives right around the corner, and we…
What do soda pop and extreme death rituals of Borneo have to do with each other? Is there any connection between craft beer and Renaissance polyphony? Not on the surface — but then, the Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar has a reputation for delving deep beneath the obvious…
Few writers reach the notoriety of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. He was a character and a legend, the founder of gonzo journalism and a living, breathing contradiction — a peace-lover who was also obsessed with firearms, for starters. To take on a biography of Thompson’s life is a task of…
You might already know about StoryCorps, a national initiative (featured every Friday on NPR’s Morning Edition) to document everyday history and the unique stories of hundreds — if not thousands — of Americans. But did you know that starting today and continuing through August 8, the StoryCorps MobileBooth (an Airstream…
What do you believe about yourself? Jesse Jackson’s call-and-response poem “I Am — Somebody” has inspired the folks at Fresh City Life to ask Denverites that very question; their answers will be revealed in a short documentary, I Am a Library, and composed into lyrics by David Amram for a…
Whether or not you think war is the answer, most people would agree that those individuals who join the military — many in search of a better education and future for themselves — deserve praise and respect. The sad truth is, many of our country’s enlisted try to make a…
Photo by Rob Lowell Are you one of those people who loves to talk, but no one wants to listen? Well, we’ve got good news for you: There are at least three organizations in Denver that want your story…
I don’t like war. And I don’t like the war in Iraq. But what I really don’t like is how our wounded veterans are being treated by the government that sent them into harm’s way in the first place. This leaves me with a couple of choices: Do nothing but…
If you’ve lived in Denver longer than five minutes, you’ve probably heard the Bonfils name. More specifically, you’ve probably heard Helen Bonfils’ name — she only ran The Denver Post for years and gave millions to such philanthropic organizations as the Belle Bonfils Memorial Blood Center, the Denver Zoo and…
I have a confession to make: I’m secretly obsessed with NBC’s The Biggest Loser. I really don’t understand it … as a general rule, I’m not a big fan of reality television, but there’s something about that show that keeps bringing me back again. And again. And again. I held…
Last year, the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council threw a party for what would have been Frida Kahlo’s 100th birthday; the bash was so successful that CHAC decided to bring it back for an entire month. “Last year was mostly Frida,” notes CHAC director Crystal O’Brien, “but this year we’ve…
Some people have a new favorite movie every week. Mine has been the same since I was six years old; that was the year I first saw Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. I could watch that movie over and over and over again — which I did, until I’d memorized every last…
Sarah Kirwin, the mastermind behind Bovine Metropolis Theatre’s CHICK IT! workshop, “thinks that women really work well together, and that we can learn more about ourselves as women working together by exploring different relationships that exist between women,” explains Bovine’s Linnea Brutlag. “Also in this workshop, women will be taking…
Ann Westerberg first became fascinated by Colorado castles when she spotted one under the 16th Street viaduct. “There was a castle sitting in the railroad yard, and I thought that was so odd,” she remembers. She began taking notes on some of the other castles she encountered in her travels…
If you liked The Secret, then you’re going to love July 9’s free presentation with Secret star and Harmonic Wealth author James Arthur Ray. Sign up online for his last-minute stop in Boulder, and read our online listing for the event here. — Amber Taufen…
