Friday-Sunday. Catch a glimpse of circus as it once was when the Zoppé Italian Family Circus sets up at Mile High Marketplace. Featuring a brand-new, one-ring tent, the Zoppés perform in a traditional style with one story binding all the performances together. Nino the Clown stars, as usual, along with Tosca the Equestrian Ballerina, acrobats, dog performers and more. 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday; 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. Mile High Marketplace, 7007 E. 88th Ave.; 303-289-4656. Admission is $3 to enter the Marketplace, plus $10 for circus admission. Kids age 11 and younger are free with a paying adults. Go to milehighmarketplace.com for more information.
Saturday-Sunday. Prepare for cooler days to come by getting a blast of heat at the Lakewood Chile Harvest Festival. Local green chile mavens battle it out at two green chile cookoffs, one each day — Saturday’s chile is traditional, while Sunday’s theme is “Think Outside the Pepper.” Live music and dancing celebrates Hispanic heritage, including performances from Aztec dancers, a classical Spanish guitarist and Latin jazz band. Kids can keep busy with craft projects while grownups tour art demonstrations and exhibits. And of course, green chiles will be roasting all day for visitors to take home for winter warmth. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lakewood’s Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow St., Lakewood. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 3 to 12. Visit lakewood.org to learn more.
Saturday. Take to the streets for the first-ever Exempla Good Samaritan Boulder Nites Classic. The family friendly bike ride winds around Boulder, covering 9 miles total. Begin and end the race at the 29th Street Mall, where plenty of treats await riders: massages, music, food and drink. The evening cruise benefits the PLAY Boulder Foundation, the City of Boulder’s Youth Services Initiative and Boulder Parks and Recreation’s EXPAND program. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Start/Finish at the 29th Street Mall, 1710 29th Street, Boulder. Registration is $30 for adults, $25 for seniors age 60 and older, $15 for kids under 12. A family rate is available for $75. Visit bouldernitesclassic.com for more information and to register in advance.
Saturday. Celebrate Colorado’s European Americans at the third annual European Festival in Highlands Ranch. More than 20 European countries are represented at the gathering, from east to west, including Latvia, Poland, Norway, Spain and Ireland. Vendors will peddle arts and crafts, plus lots of tasty food from all over Europe. Grab a seat on the lawn and catch a variety of music and dance performances, too — Hungarian grooves from Magyarock, Scottish dance from the Rocky Mountain Highland Dancers, German party music with Tanzkapelle and more. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Civic Green Park, 9370 Ridgeline Blvd., Highlands Ranch. Admission is free. Learn more at eurofestival.org.
Saturday. Explore Central City’s past and present at the 22nd annual Cemetery Crawl, followed by the opening of Gilpin County Arts Association’s 2010 Members Art Exhibit and Sale. The afternoon starts with guided tours of Central City’s Masonic Cemetery, compete with costumed actors portraying the real-life settlers buried there. Afterward, crawlers will gather at Washington Hall to check out works by Central City’s current residents, plus live music, food, beer and wine. Cemetery crawl: 2-4 p.m. Saturday. Art exhibit hours: 4-7 p.m. Saturday. For cemetery crawl, meet at the Central City Opera parking lot, 124 Eureka St., Central City, for a free shuttle to the Masonic Cemetery. Art exhibit located at Washington Hall, 117 Eureka St., Central City. Tickets are $12 for adults, free for kids age 12 and younger. Buy $10 advance tickets by calling the Gilpin County Historical Society at 303-582-5283.
-Kathleen St. John
Author: Amber Johnson
Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.
