Everything We Know About Denver

Coming up February 13 – 21 is the Colorado Home and Garden Show.  It’s the Rocky Mountain region’s oldest, largest garden and home show where you can find inspiration from the latest ideas and trends in landscaping, gardening and home improvement.

Take the FREE shuttle. Park at Coors Field (I-25 & Park Ave.) for just $5 and ride the free Show Shuttle to the Colorado Convention Center.

Discount coupons are available at participating Bank of the West branches, American Furniture Warehouse stores and Your Neighborhood Toyota dealers.

And if you’re wondering what happens to the 7,000 flowers after the show: At the end of the show’s nine-day run, more than 100 volunteers from approximately 20 metro area Rotary Clubs and several Boy Scout Troops converge on the Convention Center to carefully box more than 6,500 flowers and plants and ready them for delivery the next day. Rotarians will deliver the show’s still-fresh flowers to nearly 60 local nursing homes. This is the 11th year Rotarians have managed the flower delivery program.

Opening January 9th (tomorrow), Ruby Hill Rail Yard is a free urban ski and ride terrain park. Hosted by Winter Park and the City of Denver Parks and Recs. It’s located between West Florida and Jewell Avenues and between South Platte River Drive and Quivas Street.

If you check it out let us know how it goes!

The NWSS is in town… 2 days till kick-off!

While I do own the real deal cowboy boots, I’m technically no cowgirl; but I did go to the NWSS last year… twice. And I will tell you it’s actually very fun. I recommend checking out the PBR Bill Riding, which is exactly what it sounds like it would be – plus all the riders have cool bull riding sounding names (something I noticed last year, while not an official requirement I think it must be an unspoken rule) such as Pistol or Wiley and there will definitely be at least a Billy, Cody or Bud in the mix.

If the PBR isn’t for you, then you’re sure to love the Mutton Bustin, an event where kids 5 to 7 ride a sheep into the arena and get points for time they cling to the sheep. It’s pretty adorable to watch.

Schedule for the NWSS here.

Tickets vary in price for the seats you want and the event from $12 on up to $100. Buy ‘em at King Soopers or online.

Starting to get anxious for restaurant week? We are! After last month’s 5280 issue of new restaurants to try out, we hope their in the 2010 lineup to dine for less.

This year’s Denver Restaurant Week is February 20 to March 5… err maybe it should be titles Denver Restaurant Two Week Extravaganza. Anyhow, expect over 225 restaurants to be on this year’s list and more info is due out soon. here!

If you’re starved for Denver Restaurant Deals all year round, we recommend checking out Resto Week’s twitter account: @DenverKnowsFood. Or follow us, @EWKADenver and we’ll re-tweet our favorites.

There are a couple Holiday events coming up this month to check out… Parade of Lights we skipped because BRRR! but the weather is looking up this weekend (up from 6 degrees anyways). So, consider checking out 303 Magazine’s I heart Denver window display walk (click image for more info).

Also starting this weekend and running through January: Zoo Lights! Here are a couple of the “special zoo light events”:

- Santa at Zoo Lights: Dec. 11 – 23, 5 to 9 pm.
- Wild Ice (ice carvings & fire dancing): Dec. 11 – 17
- Kwanzaa: Dec. 26 – 27
- Zoo Year’s Eve: Dec. 31

The Zoo lights are $6 for members/$8 for adults and a few less bucks for kids & seniors.

Downtown Pavilions has a couple of Christmas deals I wanted to share:

Free gift wrap, and free delivery: Take your packages purchased at Denver Pavilions with your receipts to PostNet, located on Level 1 in the South Plaza for free gift wrap and free delivery in Downtown.

Also get a dinner and a movie gift certificate after purchasing $250 at retailers in one day at Denver Pavilions. Dinner and a movie certificates are redeemable at PostNet on Level 1, South Plaza.

And a good cause: Weekends in December from 1-5pm, inside the Barkin’ Boutique and Bakery. Santa is coming to town and he’d love to meet you and your pet!  Why not say “Happy Holidays” while helping homeless pets?  With a $10 donation to the Denver Dumb Friends League you will receive a photo of Santa and your cherished companion animal.  Santa will visit our downtown location inside the Barkin’ Boutique and Bakery.

Also, if you’re looking to shop in Larimer Square, be sure to go here for free parking sign-up. It’s only good for one day but not a bad deal.

Also in Larimer Square, a Christmas Eve celebration from 10 am to 5 pm – inc. free parking and free carriage rides downtown.

Artists are busy putting the final touches on Embrace!, the Denver Art Museum’s newest exhibition of site-specific installations. It opens this Saturday, Nov. 14, and is full of 17 intriguing, fun creations. If you’ve been to the museum recently, you’ve probably witnessed artists taking over the Hamilton Building with everything from paint guns to cherry pickers. Most of the installations are completely finished, but several are still in progress. Projects range from an airbrush painting that spans the four-story atrium to a maze of more than 8,700 brightly colored bungee cords. One that I was especially intrigued by was a multimedia presentation that incorporates motion sensors to change the display in relation to the number of visitors and their movements.

Seeing how the architecture of the museum shaped the artists’ works is fascinating. A special feature on the second floor will allow visitors to track the progress of the installations during their creation through time-lapse photography.

Embrace! will run through April 4, after which many of the creations will be painted over or otherwise dismantled. For more information, visit www.denverartmuseum.org.

What:Denver Pavilions Grand Re-Introduction Event
There will be a celebrity escalator fashion show (including Mayor Hickenlooper), live music, giveaways, sales and more…
When: Tuesday, November 10th at Noon
Where: Denver Pavilions, 500 16th Street (at the entrance from the 16th Street Mall between Glenarm and Welton)
Check it out if you’re downtown… some pretty good deals.

A friend sent me this link today: Groupon for Denver. Essentially it’s “collective buying power” with a deal a day. If enough people sign up, you get the deal of the day. I’ve seen an art and framing deal, as well as a massage deal. Check it out if you like.

Event Mention:
Gino Velardi Fashion Show: 7pm  |  East Club Level|INVESCO Field at Mile High | November 13
• Benefits Dress for Success Denver
• Gino Velardi is a Denver native and self taught fashion designer, Featuring 100 designs – cocktail dresses, gowns, suits and coats
• Free parking, coat check, photo booth and GetFlipped!
• Cash bar
• AFTER After Party at Wicked Garden on Larimer Sq. – VIP entry, free cover, GV specials
• Ticket include Reception, Fashion Show AND After Party at INVESCO! $40 GA, $65 Second Row and $85 Front Row
• Purchase tickets online at www.ginovelardi.com
• Stay in the loop at www.facebook.com/ginovelardidesigns