Wares include linens, jewelry, art, china, crystal, toys, dolls, household and decorative items, and brewery and sports memorabilia. The Study Group has promoted antique education since 1967, and was originally a part of the DU Faculty Wives Club. Info: Jean, 303-773-9970, or Susan, 303-690-5705.
Find stellar bargains at Washington Street Community Center’s Attic-to-Basement Garage Sale, Sat., May 1, 9a.m.-4p.m., 809 S. Washington St. Or stop in for a meal: breakfasts, on 1st, 2nd & 3rd Fridays, 8:30-10a.m., and senior/community lunches, each Tues. & Wed. at noon. $5/person. Put some spice in your supper: Tex Mex is on the menu at I Don’t Wanna Cook Night, Thur., May 20, 4:30-6:30p.m., all you can eat for $5/person ($3/kids 5-12). Beverages, salad, dessert included. Eat in or take out. Info: www.wscc-denver.org, 303-733-4643.
The 6th annual Denver Rubber Duck Drop begins with a splash on Sun., May 2, at George Wallace Park, at the northeast intersection of E. Belleview Ave. and DTC Blvd., southeast of the I-25 and I-225 juncture, at 12:30p.m., when 3,000 sponsored rubber ducks will float down Goldsmith Gulch for prizes. Proceeds benefit five DPS elementary schools. Reserve ducks ($5 each, five for $20) at the Park on race day. The Duck Derby will include a children’s Duck Fest. Details: www.denverrubberduckdrop.com, 303-504-5781.
Get your hands around the new Henry Moore sculpture exhibition in MOORE on Mondays drop-in workshops for families and students at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St. Learn the meaning of texture in art by making a hat in ArtCapades (May 3, 10), or scurry about on a sculpture scavenger hunt in Moore Treasures (May 17, 24, 31), 1-3p.m. Free ($2 materials for ArtCapades) with admission. General info: www.botanicgardens.org or 303-765-3500.
Schukr “Sugar” Basanow kicks off his 40th year leading International Folk Dancing in Washington Park on Thur., May 6, in front of the Washington Park Boathouse Pavilion. Open to all levels and ages of dancers; beginners are welcome 7-8p.m. for instruction, with dancing continuing for all until 10. Weather permitting, Folk Dancing will be held each Thursday through Sept. 2. Mark your calendars now for a celebratory 40th year potluck on July 22, 6p.m. Dancing free; donations definitely accepted. Info: Sugar Basanow, 303-371-4188.
Second Christian Reformed Church, 1895 S. Ogden St., hosts an informal National Day of Prayer gathering, Thur., May 6, 7p.m. Non-political prayers will be offered for the nation and world. Children are welcome to pray or play. Info: Pastor@JewelCRC.org or 303-744-0827.
Join DPS Supt. Tom Boasberg for a Parent Forum at South High School, 1700 E. Louisiana Ave., Thur., May 6, 6:15-8:15p.m. Hear about the Denver Plan, DPS’s comprehensive blueprint for school reform, and get answers about school closures, budgetary problems, drop-out rates, tenure issues and the achievement gap. Open to the public. Info: 720-423-3414.
The Colorado Potters Guild presents 2,000+ handcrafted pieces of pottery in the Spring Pottery Show and Sale at the First Plymouth Congregational Church, 3501 S. Colorado Blvd. Show opens Thur., May 6, 5-8p.m., and continues Fri., 7, 9a.m.-8p.m., and Sat., 8, 9a.m.-5p.m. Free. Info: www.coloradopotters.org, 303-733-3003.
Camp Bow Wow founder Heidi Ganahl reads from and signs her new book, Tales from the Bark Side, Thur., May 6, 5-7p.m., at Camp Bow Wow Denver Central, 1221 S. Cherokee St. Book proceeds benefit The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. Yappy Hour follows. Free; owners & pets RSVP to cbwcentral@campbowwow.com, 303-282-5484 or 303-995-1958.
The Bolt Factory, 209 Kalamath St., throws its first all-building Open House Fri., May 7, 5-10p.m. Home to painters, photographers, robot makers, tango dancers, interior design reps and web and graphic designers, 18 spaces will be open to the public with live music, food and art projects. Free parking on the street and in the parking lot across 2nd Ave. For details, visit www.theboltfactory.com.
Treat Mom to a Mother’s Day Full Tea, then shop for gifts at the Molly Brown House, 1340 Pennsylvania St. Times: Fri., May 7, 1p.m.; Sat., May 8, 11a.m., 1p.m. & 3p.m.; and Sun., May 9, 1 & 3p.m. $20. Reservations required: 303-832-4092, ext. 16, or www.mollybrown.org.
Storyteller Michael Heralda shares the wondrous world of the Mexica/Aztecs in this month’s Poetry y Mas open-mic poetry jam, Sat., May 8, 2-4p.m., at Chicano Humanities & Arts Council, 772 Santa Fe Dr., 2-4p.m. Call Suzanne Vega at 720-524-7913 or visit www.ChacWeb.org for info on this and other cultural events.
Celebrate National Public Gardens Day at Denver Botanic Gardens’ annual Spring Plant Sale, Fri. & Sat., May 7 & 8. Shop for more than 85,000 perennials, annuals, water-smart plants, herbs, vegetables, rock alpine plants and more. Gardening instruction, tips and products available, as well as horticulture experts to answer questions and assist choosing plants. Free. Hours: 10a.m.-6p.m. (4p.m. Sat.), with members-only shopping 8:30-10a.m. Info: www.botanicgardens.org or 720-865-3500.
Assist your senior Platt Park-area neighbors on Neighbor to Neighbor Service Day, Sat., May 8, 8:30a.m.-1p.m., sponsored by Volunteers in Action and the churches of Platt Park. Spend a few hours on a work crew or provide names of elderly Platt Park residents needing help with yard work, painting, trash removal or light clean up. Lunch served. Info: 303-713-9144, rachelm@volunteersinaction.info.
Help unemployed and financially stressed Coloradans feed their horses by buying bedding plants, hanging baskets, vegetables and herbs from the nonprofit Colorado Horsecare Foodbank, now taking orders for delivery at a plant sale held in front yards on the 700 S. block of Williams St. and Exposition, Sat. & Sun., May 8, 9, 15 & 16, 9a.m.-4p.m. (look for signs). Proceeds help CHF provide food grants and interim help to horse owners from Delta to New Mexico, helping to preserve the state’s equine heritage. Info: visit www.horsefoodbank.org or call Juliana, 303-670-6762.
University Neighbors will host a Shred-A-Thon, Sat., May 8, 9a.m.-noon, in the Asbury Elementary parking lot on S. Lafayette St. between E. Asbury and Evans Ave. ProShred will process paper in its mobile truck; $5 (cash only) per box suggested donation. Proceeds fund community outreach events. Shredded material will be recycled. For info on the event or University Neighbors, call Liz Ullman, 303-733-1442, or visit the website: www.universityneighbors.org.
Denver’s Cinco de Mayo festival – one of the largest in the nation – will be celebrated in Civic Center Park, Broadway and Colfax Ave., Sat. & Sun., May 8 & 9, 10a.m.-8p.m., with live entertainment, art exhibitions, children’s activities, and food and drink vendors. Info: 720-913-0630.
Bonfils Blood Center’s Because Life Happens tour shows how blood donations find their way to patients, Tues., May 11, 4-5p.m., at 717 Yosemite St. RSVP/info: foundation@bonfils.org, 303-739-4000.
Denver Zoo hosts Spring into Health – an annual showcase of fitness and wellness programs – Thur., May 13, 9a.m.-1p.m., 2300 Steele St. Mayor John Hickenlooper and local TV celeb Tom Green serve as the keynote speakers for the event, which features a Resource Fair with info on programs, agencies and assistance to adults and seniors, free blood pressure screenings and care management information. Zoo admission, resource fair and snack pack included in $8 fee ($12 day of event); registration forms can be found at any Denver Parks & Rec recreation center. Questions: 303-458-4868.
Want to learn more about the upcoming phase of reconstruction on S. Broadway between Iowa & Wesley? Attend a public meeting and open house at John Collins Church, 2320 S. Bannock, Thur., May 13, 5:30p.m.
See cinema from Colorado’s best student filmmakers in the Denver Academy Film Festival for Youth. Individual students or groups are invited to submit videos, films and animated shorts in drama, comedy, documentary and animation categories. Entries are screened and judged by a panel of filmmakers and film instructors. Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony and screening Thur., May 20, 7p.m., at the King Center, 855 Lawrence St. Free, but RSVP required. Entries also can be screened (for a fee) at the Starz Film Center, 900 Auraria Pkwy.: Sat. & Sun., May 15 & 16, 3 & 7p.m.; and Tues. & Wed., 18 & 19, 7p.m. To RSVP, or to learn more, visit www.denveracademy.org/daffy, or call Bonnie Russell, 303-777-5161.
Adult amateur musicians are invited to perform at informal Colorado Chamber Music Society concerts, held the third Saturday of the month (May 15, 2p.m.) at Decker Branch Library, 1501 S. Logan St. No formal audition necessary. Call Grant Garlinghouse, 303-972-1170, for an appointment.
Harvard Gulch Annual Artisans Craft Sale takes place Sat., May 15, 9a.m.-2p.m., at 550 E. Iliff Ave., featuring vendors selling great craft items, food, crafts for kids, face painting and a nearby CSU Extension plant sale. Info: 303-698-4999.
Pick through plants a-plenty at the Plant-A-Palooza fundraising plant sale, Sat., May 15, 8a.m.-3p.m., at 888 E. Iliff Ave., in Harvard Gulch Park. Shop for heirloom and modern tomatoes, peppers, basil, annuals and perennials. Colorado Master Gardener volunteers will be onsite to assist. Benefits Colorado State University Extension. Info: 720-913-5270.
Shop for more than 70 varieties of tomatoes (mostly heirloom), 45+ herbs, other veggies, annuals, perennials and ground covers at the Front Range Organic Gardeners & The Herb Society of America Rocky Mountain Unit’s Sale and Auction of Organic Veggie & Herb Plants, Sat., May 15, 9a.m.-1p.m., at Denver Presbytery Center, 1710 S. Grant St. Sale starts at 9a.m., live auction of exceptional plants and items at 11, ends at 1p.m. Cash only; bring carrying trays or containers. Info: 303-744-7871,www.GardenFrog.org.
Join Congress Park Neighbors for an informal walking tour of the trees on 7th Ave. Parkway, Sun., May 16, starting at 1p.m. from the flower bed at Colorado Blvd. and 7th Ave. Parkway. Info: call Susan Bardwell at 303-399-1155, or visit www.congressparkneighbors.org.
Take a historic walking tour with local historian and author Phil Goodstein this month: Ghosts of Cheesman Park, Sun., May 2, 11a.m., meeting at the gazebo on the 12th Ave. loop near S. Gilpin St.; Platt Park, Sun., 16, 11a.m., in front of Decker Library, 1501 S. Logan St.; Capitol Hill, Wed., June 2, 6:30p.m., at the 1375 High St. apartment building. All $10 per person unless noted, and subject to weather. Call Goodstein at 303-333-1095 for details.
Watch 14 of the top 50 U.S. croquet players compete in the 3rd annual Rocky Mountain International Open, Thur.-Sun., May 20-23, at the Denver Croquet Club’s home court on “The Lawn” in Washington Park. Free to watch. The playing field was built in 1924 for the Washington Park Lawn Bowling Club, which still bowls as a club and has open leagues at this historic site. Closing ceremony and open brunch (fee) is Sun., May 23, 11a.m. Info: Ron Eccles, 720-937-2056, denvercroquet@yahoo.com.
Denver Botanic Gardens hosts Inspired by Mountains and Plains: Redefining the Well-Adapted Regional Garden, with David Salman, Pat Hayward, Marcia Tatroe and Bill Adams, Fri., May 21, 7-9p.m., at 1005 York St. $13-15. Registration: www.botanicgardens.org or 720-865-3500. The following day (Sat., 22, 10a.m.-4p.m.) the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program presents a self-guided tour of five private gardens in Arvada, Centennial, Denver and Littleton; call-888-842-2442 or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for tour details and tickets.
The Colorado Cannery Project will hold a public meeting about building and running a community cannery for Coloradans, Fri., May 21, 7p.m., at Denver Urban Homesteading, 200 Santa Fe Dr. CCP is conducting an online survey (starting May 15), holding community meetings around the state, and writing a business model and feasibility study. Info: 720-206-5714, www.cocannery.com.
Exchange books and yarns and share your fabric craft project at the Spring Spectacular Community Yarn Event, Sat., May 22, 11a.m.-4p.m., at Tamarac Square Mall, 7777 E. Hampden Ave. Vendor booths, classes ($5), door prizes and book signing with author/designer Sue Viders. Free. Preregister at www.BagsByCAB.com, or call 303-695-8628.
Peer into the cosmic past through DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory’s 20-inch telescope for a dollar per person at anOpen House, Sat., May 22, starting at 7p.m. Hosted by DU and the Denver Astronomical Society, at Observatory Park, 2930 E. Warren Ave., at S. Fillmore St. Also, Public Nights held each Tues. & Thur., starting at 7p.m., in the Observatory, with lecture and viewing. Reservations required; $3, $2 kids. Info/reservations: www.thedas.org.
Congregation Rodef Shalom, 450 S. Kearney, will hold a garage sale in its parking lot, Sun., May 23, 8a.m.-2p.m. Info: 303-399-0035.
Final Friday nights at the Denver Art Museum feel less like a field trip and more like a night out in Untitled, offbeat art encounters, unique tours of the DAM collection, artmaking, local music, cash bar, munchies and more, with new themes, activities and bands each month. If you see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees The Matrix, then check out the graphic-design-themed Untitled #29 (Typo), May 28, 6-10p.m. Free with general museum admission; cash bar. Info: www.untitled.denverartmuseum.org, 720-865-5000.
See and shop for original Colorado artwork at the Memorial Day weekend Downtown Denver Arts Festival, May 28-31, featuring 130+ artists working in sculpture, ceramics, photography, painting, prints, multimeda and more, at the Denver Pavilions, 500 16th St. Free. Info: 303-330-8237.
City Park Week celebrates new amenities and improvements in Denver’s premier destination park, May 31-June 4. Hosted by Denver Parks & Rec, Dist. 8 City Councilwoman Carla Madison and City Park Alliance, the festivities include: May 31, Bringing the Fountains Back to Life ceremony, reactivating the Darlington Electric and H2Odyssey Interactive fountains for the season, with music by City Park Jazz (6-8p.m.); June 2, Mayor John Hickenlooper, Councilwoman Madison and other civic notables unveil City Park’s new elevation marker on the Mile High Loop (11a.m.), followed by a guided tour of the newly designed Tree Walk; 4, dedication ceremony for Patrick Marold’s Avian Front sculpture (4:30-5p.m.); 4, District 8 old-fashioned ice cream social and fundraiser, featuring the Denver Municipal Band and free ice cream (6-9p.m.). Staff from Parks & Rec, Denver Zoo and Denver Museum of Nature & Science will be on hand to explain upcoming improvements at the May 31 and June 4 events. For info, visit www.denvergov.org/parksandrecreation or call 311.
Coors Field is the site of a citywide networking and neighborhood leadership training event, Sat., June 5, hosted by Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Denver Foundation, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation, and Neighborhood Resource Center. The conference begins with breakfast and keynote address by civic engagement consultant Mike Green at 8a.m., followed by community building workshops, group decision-making sessions on what makes strong neighborhoods, neighborhood promotion presentations and networking opportunities. Free. Info/register (due June 1): Heather Barry, neighborhoodconference@denvergov.org, 720-865-9103.
The Churchill Cup – North America’s premier, 15-a-side rugby tournament – returns to Colorado for three rounds of doubleheader matches June 5, 9 & 13, at Infinity Park, 4400 E. Kentucky Ave., The 2010 lineup features the USA Eagles, England Saxons, Rugby Canada and tournament newcomers France, Russia and Uruguay, and showcases a Rugby World Cup 2011 preview match on opening day when hosts USA face off against Russia. Info/tickets ($15-80): 303-692-5799, www.churchillcuprugby.net.
First Christian Reformed Church’s annual all-church garage sale takes place Fri. & Sat., June 11-12, at 1814 S. Emerson St., raising funds for its youth service project in Alamosa. Information: 303-733-4936.
The Mizel Museum seeks objects, artifacts & contemporary art for 4,000 Year Road Trip: Gathering Sparks, a new, permanent exhibition opening in August at 400 S. Kearney St. Curator Georgina Kolber is searching for privately owned Jewish objects, artifacts and contemporary artwork, especially ritual objects about Torah stories, haggadot or sidurrim of unusual derivation, objects from Crypto-Jews, Jewish pioneer pieces and unique objects that tell the story of the Diaspora. Objects may be either temporarily loaned or permanently donated to the museum for the duration of the exhibition. Send a digital photo of the object, short description, your name and daytime phone number to gkolber@mizelmuseum.org. Questions? Call Kolber at 303-394-9993, ext. 107.
The Animal Rescue and Adoption Society needs your time and money to help serve less-fortunate felines. The no-kill, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cat shelter is dedicated to preventing cruelty and providing a safe shelter and a second chance for homeless cats and kittens. It receives no government support. To help in a hands-on way, join the Kitten Care Brigade to help clean and socialize, 8-11:30a.m. or 2-4p.m.; email kcb@arascolorado.org to sign up. Donations are taken at www.arascolorado.tripod.com or the shelter (mail or in-person) at 2390 S. Delaware St. (80223). Info: 303-744-6076.
Host families are needed for 25 Chinese students (ages 13-15) spending two summer weeks on academics and recreation here in Denver, July 16-29. The students and their two escorts will spend Mon.-Fri., 8:30a.m.-5p.m., in the program. Ideal host families are single- or two-parent with children. Learn more at Compass USA’s website, www.compass-usa.net.
Want to help refugees learn English and job skills? Safari Seconds Thrift Store needs volunteers to teach refugee students from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, at 414 Broadway. Orientation every Tues., 5p.m., at 850 Holly St. Must commit to two hours per week and an eight-week training session. Details at www.africancommunitycenter.net; click on “How You Can Help.”
Like spring greenery, monthly street sweeping – and tickets – have returned to Denver’s residential streets, 8a.m.-5p.m., Tues.-Fri., through November. Street sweeping notice signs are posted in affected neighborhoods, identifying the sweeping day for each side of the block. Neighborhoods with little on-street parking demand are not signed; their streets are swept without notice (or parking tickets). Scheduled sweeping will be canceled during inclement weather and on City observed holidays. To view the citywide summer street sweeping schedule or sign up for email reminders, http://www.denvergov.org/Street_Maintenance/StreetSweeping/tabid/434600/Default.aspx.