Stir it up
Saturday. Join more than 300 other foodies and wine lovers at the 2nd annual Big Stir Festival, where thirty-plus tasting tables will offer samples from culinary industry folks who are members of the Colorado chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier (as well as the award winners). In addition to sampling there will be educational seminars on subjects like cheesemaking 101, women winemakers and organic spirits, as well as readings and signings with authors.
The Big Stir honors “women making an impact in Colorado’s food, beverage and hospitality industries by championing philanthropy, diversity, sustainability and education,” according to festival organizers. Proceeds go toward supporting more women in the industry. The April 29 event runs from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Tivoli Center Turnhalle Room on the Auraria Campus in Denver. Tickets, $65, are available at eventbrite.com. More information at thebigstirfestival.com. — Jonathan Shikes
People Power
Saturday. Motorless Mornings, a blissful program at Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center, returns for the season today from 5 a.m. to noon. The once-a-month special event closes the park to motor vehicle traffic so that people can enjoy its beauty in other ways. “Without cars, the park’s winding roadways beckon to cyclists and joggers, skaters and dog walkers, offering the chance for a wide variety of user groups to join together, slow down and enjoy,” parks officials say.
Visitors can park their vehicles at the visitor center, 1805 30th St. in Colorado Springs, or the Garden of the Gods Trading Post, 324 Beckers Lane in Manitou Springs, or the overflow parking lot at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, at 30th Street and Gateway Road. There will be designated slow zones and one-way traffic during Motorless Mornings. Park entrance is free. — Jonathan Shikes
Get a handle on it
Saturday-Sunday. A unique opportunity for Front Range cyclists will take place this weekend when The Pro’s Closet, a Boulder County bike refurbishment company, hosts a new event called the Great Spring Breakaway at its brand new headquarters and warehouse.
The Pro’s Closet is North America’s largest retailer of certified pre-owned bikes. TPC buys, refurbishes and resells high-end bikes online at a massive facility in Louisville. The plant also includes a retail outlet and a vintage bicycle museum.
The Great Spring Breakaway will include seasonal product sales, a vendor expo, product demos, free bike washes, food trucks and factory tours. TPC typically refurbishes 50 to 150 bikes a day. The festival runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the factory in an industrial park at 1900 Taylor Avenue in Louisville. More information at theproscloset.com. — John Meyer
Celebrating Dia del Niño
Sunday. The Dia del Niño celebrations at Front Range museums culminate on Sunday, April 30, to mark the return of the Mexican holiday. The Mexican Culture Center has again paired with the area’s biggest institutions to offer free admission and multilingual crafts, dancing, music, food and more for all kids.
Highlights on Sunday include the colorful performances at Denver Art Museum, with ballet, mariachi music and Indigenous dance (denverartmuseum.org), that are within walking distance of more activities at History Colorado Center, Clyfford Still Museum, Denver Public Library and The Center for Colorado Women’s History at the Byers-Evans House Museum. But there’s also bilingual fun at Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Zoo. And Denver Botanic Gardens. (It just keeps going). Check out times, locations and lineups at mccdenver.org/dia-del-nino. — John Wenzel
The tragedy, and absurdity, of cancer
Sunday. Journalist, critic and author Juliet Wittman‘s new novel, “Again and Again,” was inspired by her experience with breast cancer, during which she was “annoyed by the ubiquitous pink ribbons and the Hallmark Card sentimentality” in media depictions. Most people with cancer she encountered were “scared, eccentric, often angry and just as often doubled up with laughter.
“Wittman, a longtime Westword theater critic and Colorado Book Award-winner, will read from the novel at The Tattered Cover Colfax on Monday, May 1, and Boulder Bookstore on Tuesday, May 2, and sign copies afterward. Boulder Bookstore tickets are $5; the Tattered Cover Colfax is free. tatteredcover.com or boulderbookstore.net — John Wenzel
