Saturday. If the theme is any indication, this year’s Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade is going to be an extra-fun one: “Shamrockin’ 2010” celebrate the contributions of the Irish to popular music. It’s not just U2, either: Irish people and traditional music have influenced genres like folk, bluegrass and country, too. Appropriately, the parade marshals are The Bridies, a quartet of traditional musicians from the Auld Sod. There will be lots of music along the way, too, including step dancers and pipe bands. Keep an eye out for this year’s Queen Colleen: Kerry Elizabeth Barley, a junior at Metropolitan State College. The festivities also include kooky clowns, floats, horses and a gang of Texas Longhorns. The parade steps off at Blake and 27th Streets at 10 a.m. Saturday. Attendance is free.
Friday-Sunday. Horse lovers of all ages will get a kick out of the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo at the National Western Complex. A variety of seminars are offered, on topics from training colts to Western dressage. Kids can have a ball playing buckaroo in stick-horse rodeos, and everyone can take a turn browsing the exhibitors’ stalls and checking out the “Equine Art in the Park” art show. On Friday and Saturday night, be sure to see The Mane Event, a showcase of breeds and disciplines from team-penning rodeo riders to elegant dressage champions. Check out the full schedule at rockymountainhorseexpo.com. National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St.; 303-297-1166. Single-day passes are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students. A three-day pass is $20. Tickets to the Mane Event are $10. Learn about family package deals at the Expo website.
Friday-Sunday. Take a trip to sunny Spain in “Pepito’s Story,” part of the Boulder Ballet’s Storybook Ballet series. Danced by students from the Boulder Ballet School, the show is set in the Spanish seaside where young Pepito resides. Pepito has a special dream, but almost everyone discourages him from following it. But his grandmother and his friend, the mayor’s daughter, tell him to keep pursuing his muse: dance. The ballet is based on the children’s book by Eugene Fern. 7 p.m. tonight, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. The Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder; 303-440-7826. Tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for children. Buy tickets and learn more at thedairy.org.
Saturday. Hear the region’s best a cappella groups battle it out at the 21st annual Rocky Mountain Regional Harmony Sweepstakes. Seven all-vocal bands compete to advance to the national finals in California, humming, bopping and beatboxing all the way. Five of the groups are from Colorado: Confidential, Wonder Voice, Cool Shooz, VoxBom and The UCD 6. “Glee” and “American Idol” fans, this show is for you. 7 p.m. Saturday. Colorado Heights University Theater, 3001 S. Federal Blvd.; 303-937-4575. Tickets are $18-$30, available online at ticketswest.com or at King Soopers stores. Learn more at harmony-sweepstakes.com.
Saturday. It’s National Elephant Day — in Thailand. The Denver Zoo is joining the salute here in the States with a day of pachyderm-friendly partying. Visit activity stations to learn about a variety of elephant-related topics: The complex relationship between humans and Asian elephants, habitat conservation and the zoo’s upcoming new exhibit, Asian Tropics. And don’t forget Dolly and Mimi: The zoo’s two elephants will be on-hand for a little Elephant Day love. Activities are free with zoo admission. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St.; 303-376-4800. Admission to the zoo is $12 for visitors ages 12 to 64, $9 for seniors age 65 and older, $7 for kids ages 3 to 11. Children age 2 and younger are free. Visit denverzoo.org for more information.
-Kathleen St. John
Author: Mile High Mamas
