Support the Arts in Lafayette at the Dead Artists Ball - TONIGHT!

Enjoy a ghoulishly good time at the Dead Artists Ball, a fundraiser to support the arts in Lafayette, October 30th, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. at the Library. Come dressed as your favorite dead artist and leave the little gremlins at home for this spirited adult event. (The Bob Burger Recreation Center will be offering a Kids Night Out for ages 8-14.)


Enjoy appetizers, cash bar, music by Flatirons Jazz and best costume prizes. Tickets are $20.00 per person in advance, include a complimentary glass of wine and are now available at the Library's Circulation Desk. Tickets will be $25 per person if purchased at the door.

Lafayette Library is located at 775 West Baseline Road
Tickets and information at 303-665-5200 x3802

Women, Power and Politics: An Evening With Maria Hinojosa

Join award-winning PBS journalist Maria Hinojosa as she explores the question of what it means to be a woman in power, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. at the Starz FilmCenter


The presence of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and Nancy Pelosi, among a handful of other women in the national political arena, masks the fact that the United States ranks 70th in the world for women's political representation, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. And a 2008 Brookings Institution report found that the number of women seeking and winning positions of political power in 2008 is not markedly different than it was a decade ago.

For “Women, Power and Politics,” Maria Hinojosa, senior correspondent for “NOW on PBS,” interviewed women leaders around the world to better understand the high-stakes risks, triumphs and setbacks. The group included President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, the first female leader in Latin America who did not have a husband precede her in office, and Jeanne Shaheen, the first woman in U.S. history to be elected a governor and a United States senator.

Hinojosa has been NOW’s senior correspondent since August 2005, taking on issues like child marriage, families in crisis, military sexual trauma, immigration, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the plight of guest workers. Hinojosa previously was a CNN urban-affairs correspondent and also spent six years at National Public Radio as a New York-based general assignment correspondent. She continues her affiliation with NPR, where she is the anchor and managing editor of Latino USA. In 2008 the National Association of Hispanic Journalists gave her their highest honor, the Leadership Award.

Tickets to the event are $25 for the film and post-film reception; $20 for Denver Film Society members. Available at the Denver Film Society's website.

Discounts are available for students and groups of 10 or more. Contact Alison, 303-309-0906 or womenandfilm@gmail.com, or Ann, 303-595-3456 ext. 227 or ann@denverfilm.org, for more information.


Rocky Mountain PBS

Each month, Rocky Mountain PBS invites the 1.6 million people we reach throughout Colorado to experience the world of award-winning local, national and international programming; hear diverse viewpoints; take front row center seats to world-class drama and performances; and enjoy lifelong learning services for children and adults.

Rocky Mountain PBS is celebrating its 53rd anniversary on the air this year. The network began in Denver in 1956 as Colorado’s first public television station. It is now Colorado’s only statewide television network, with stations in Denver (KRMA-TV/DT), Pueblo/Colorado Springs (KTSC-TV/DT), Steamboat Springs (KRMZ-DT), Grand Junction (KRMJ-DT) and Durango (KRMU-DT). To learn more, visit rmpbs.org


Women+Film is a year-round program promoting films and media that is by, for and about women.

"Calamity!" - A Raucous Two Person Wild West Show - Hits Boulder

Calamity Jane was a legend in her own time…and now she’s back!

Calamity! is a raucous two-person Wild West Show with music. It brings Deadwood’s gender-bending heroine, Calamity Jane, to Boulder … for three weeks only!

With biting humor, sexual ambiguity and heart-breaking truth, Calamity! recreates an American myth… in all her glory, and all her dissipation. It stars Ethelyn Friend, last seen in the Theaterworks production of Wit, as Calamity Jane and Micha Frayne as her musician. Calamity! is directed by Stephen Wangh, co-author of The Laramie Project and director of last season’s acclaimed Naropa production of Our Town.

Starting October 29th, and running for three weekends only -- through November 15th at the Rock 'n Soul Cafe -- Calamity!

The performance dates are:
* Thursday, October 29th, Saturday 31st and Sunday, Nov. 1st
* Thursday Nov. 5th and Sunday Nov. 8th
* Thursday, Nov. 12th, Friday Nov. 13th and Sunday Nov. 15th
All shows begin at 7:30

Tickets are $15 ($12 for students and seniors) and can be purchased online at www.rocknsoulcafe.com or by calling 720-323-4665 or emailing calamityplay@gmail.com to make a reservation. Purchasing tickets in advance is strongly recomended. Tickets will be available at the door an hour before show time. Rock ‘n Soul Cafe is located at 5290 Arapahoe Ave # 1 Boulder, CO 80303-1269 (map)

Calamity! is part of Denver Art Week from November 5-14.

Scenic Fall Hikes

Snow is coming, so if you're not spending your Saturday mulching and trimming, take a leisurely tour through the last colors of the changing season. Below are four short hikes to consider.


Fall’s reds and golds take over the scenery in Gregory Canyon from mid-September through October. Starting just west of Chautauqua where Baseline meets Flagstaff, the trail up Gregory Canyon climbs west for a mile to Realization Point. The trail crosses Saddle Rock, which takes you another 1.3 steep miles up to a spectacular overlook. Everywhere you look, the understory vibrates with yellows, golds and reds. Look for plump, ripe chokecherries and currants, both much loved by the birds and bears.

Located off Flagstaff Road about 7.5 miles from Boulder, historic Walker Ranch has multi-use trails, a group shelter, fishing, and programs that celebrate the ranch’s history. Trails meander through a rich mosaic of pines and fir trees, open meadows and aspen groves. Many mountain bikers use the Walker Ranch Loop trail on weekends.

For full fall-color immersion, go to Caribou Ranch, just northwest of Nederland. The area, at an elevation of more than 8,000 feet, is surrounded by mountainsides lit gold by aspen groves. Caribou Ranch has 4.5 miles of easy trails that wind along the Historic Switzerland Trail to the DeLonde Homestead and Blue Bird mining camp. The hike teems with wetlands, meadows, streams and forests with towering aspen trees. Horses are allowed on trails, but mountain bikes are forbidden. From Nederland take the Peak to Peak Highway north for 2 miles; turn left on County Road 126 and continue on the dirt road to trailhead.

Mitchell Lake and Blue Lake are small lakes that epitomize high-Rockies scenery. The trail winds through evergreen forest, reaching Mitchell Lake in about a mile, and then climbs through more open terrain for another mile and a half. Watch for squirrels and chipmunks hoarding food for winter. To reach the Mitchell Lake/Long Lake trailhead, take Brainard Lake Drive (just north of Ward) off Colorado Route 72, the Peak-to-Peak Highway.

For more hiking trail recommendations, locations of trailheads and a "Circling the City" 8-part hiking tour AROUND Boulder, visit GetBoulder.com's Hiking Guide.

Photo: Fall’s display doesn’t get much better than at Caribou Ranch near Nederland. Hikers there enjoy more than 4 miles of easy trails lined with aspen trees that turn wonderfully golden in fall. Photo by Kay Turnbaugh

It's Benefits and Fundraisers Weekend!

Ok, that's not official. But there ARE a number of fundraising events throughout Boulder County this weekend. Choose your party, choose your cause and help out these local non-profits who give back to the community year-round.

Animal Affair, Oct. 24
This year’s big benefit for the Longmont Humane Society features the chance to win naming rights to LHS’s new retail store. Also featured are wine and beer tasting, live and silent auctions, dinner, and much more. Oct. 24 at 5:30pm at the Radisson Conference Center, 1900 Ken Pratt Blvd., Longmont. 303-772-1232.

Annual Gala for Women’s Health, Oct. 23
The Gala is a wonderful evening of food, wine, live music, and a fabulous silent auction. Proceeds support the programs and services of Women’s Health. This year, the Gala will be held at The Stadium Club at Folsom Field on the University of Colorado campus. 7pm. 303-440-9320.

E3: Empower. Effect. Educate., Oct. 24
Boulder Quest Center hosts E3: Empower. Effect. Educate. for October Prevent Domestic Violence Month on Saturday, Oct. 24. Events include a women’s yoga class at 9 am, a women’s self defense seminar from 4-6 pm, and a Think Humanity fund raiser starting at 9:30 am with jewelry made by refugee women living in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) in Uganda, available throughout the day. The Boulder Quest Center is located at 1200 Yarmouth Avenue (1/2 block east of Broadway) in North Boulder. 303-440-3647.

La Fiesta!, Oct. 24
Boulder County’s biggest intercultural party is also the largest fundraiser for Intercambio de Comunidades, a nonprofit that helps reduce language and cultural barriers for Spanish speakers through English classes, public workshops and social events. The 2009 La Fiesta!–with food and drink, music, and silent auction—is Oct. 24, 7pm at the Boulder Elks Lodge, 3975 28th St. 303-996-0275.

Pizazz! 2009, Oct. 24
The theme for the annual benefit for HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield counties is “FUNOPOLY: Investing in Compassionate Care from Park Place to Pearl Street.” Oct. 24 at the Omni Interlochen Resort, Broomfield from 6pm-Midnight; call or check the website for more information. 303-449-7740.

Souper Bowlder, Oct. 21-Nov. 8
Buy a bowl, handcrafted and donated by local potters (or paint your own at Color Me Mine, 20th and Pearl streets) from Oct. 21-Nov. 8. On Nov. 6 from 6-8pm, fill your new bowl with homemade soup made by the artists of the Boulder Arts and Crafts Cooperative. 1421 Pearl St. 303-443-3683.

Thorne Ecological Institute Natural Night Out 2009, Oct. 23
Thorne’s third annual fundraising event, with a silent auction and awards ceremony, is Oct. 23 at Rembrandt Yard, 1301 Spruce St. Visit the website for updated details or call 303-499-3647.

Additional events are coming up next week. Visit the GetBoulder Boulder County Benefits & Fundraisers page for a complete listing of fall fundraisers.

Get Eco-Chic with Antiques

The World Wide Antique Show brings Eco-Chic to the Denver Merchandise Mart at I-25 and 58th Avenue on October 23-25, 2009. As communities and homes are steadily becoming more environmentally conscious the World Wide Antique Show is announcing this is a fantastic way to shop green this fall season. The show features a diverse selection of vintage pieces and collectibles from around the world that timelessly integrate form and function all without depleting our current environmental resources, all under the idea that vintage items are “designed in the past, desired in the present.” This Eco-Chic theme even transcends into the World Wide Antique Show’s promotional development, printing all the show cards on recycled paper using soy inks, which are better for our environment.

Over 150 dealers from across the country come together to display amazing pieces that fit a wide-range for any collector’s tastes. Unique items can be found everywhere at the World Wide Antique Show, starting with exquisite 19th century jewelry, to superior antique oak and finely made walnut furniture, to rare china and superb-caliber art. While many dealers have exhibited for years and have a committed following, the show always includes new dealers presenting a variety of vintage items and collectibles. You can also find books, dolls, postcards, one-of-a-kind art glass, quality linen and bedding items.

“With many people looking to invest in something tangible, this show is ideal with the selections we have from vintage jewelry to English silver,” commented Christine Guedea, World Wide Antique Shows Manager. “And the fact that they can feel good about the recycling of “history” becomes the true definition of eco-chic.”

As a special service glass repair will be done on-site by “The Glassman.”

SHOW HOURS are Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is $8 and good for all three days. Parking is free. Food and beverages are available onsite. For more information call 303-292-6278 or visit the website.

Early Music Colorado’s Fall Festival Returns October 24th and 25th

Whether you sing, play an instrument, or simply enjoy hearing early music, there will be something for you at the Festival! Join Early Music Colorado for a day of music, workshops, and presentations at the Boulder Public Library, 1000 Canyon Boulevard, on Saturday, October 24. Here’s this year’s line-up:

• 10:15am - Trillo, appoggiatura, anticipation, acciaccatura: What to use and when: Lecture/Demonstration by Evanne Browne
• 11:15am - Recital: The Renaissance Project
• 1:30pm - Bringing Early Renaissance Music to Life: Lecture/Demonstration by Sylvia Rhyne and Eric Redlinger of Asteria
• 2:30pm - Recital: Quintessence and Rose Garden Recorder Ensembles
• 3:30pm - Various Agreeable Sounds: A Continuo Guide for All Musicians: Lecture/Demonstration by Frank Nowell
• 4:30pm - Recital: Baroque Youth Ensemble

The excitement continues Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon with concerts by internationally-known early music artists Asteria and The Rose Consort of Viols.

Saturday, October 24, 7:30 pm
Concert by Asteria
Un Tres Doulx Regard: The Blossoming of the Burgundian Spirit in Song, 1390–1440
St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1419 Pine Street, Boulder
$15/$10 Students/Seniors; $12 EMC members; children 7-12 free.
Tickets online at the Early Music Colorado website or at the door.

Asteria burst onto the national Early Music scene in 2004, winning Early Music America’s first Unicorn Prize for Medieval and Renaissance Music with a performance heralded by the New York Times as “intimate and deeply communicative ... meltingly beautiful.” This engaging duo brings out the passion and emotional impact of late medieval vocal and instrumental music by giving a narrative quality and emotional immediacy to timeless love songs of wide appeal, transporting their listeners back to the age of chivalry.

Sunday, October 25, 4:30 pm
Concert by the Rose Consort of Viols
From Bologna to Britannia
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 3700 Baseline Road, Boulder
$15/$10 Students/Seniors; $12 EMC members; children 7-12 free.
Tickets online at the Early Music Colorado website or at the door.

With its unique blend of intimacy, intricacy, passion and flamboyance, the Rose Consort’s repertory ranges from Taverner and Byrd, to Lawes, Locke and Purcell. The Rose Consort has received awards for its research and performance of original programs, some of which have been featured on Britain’s Early Music Network. The Consort performs extensively throughout Britain and the European continent, appears regularly on the BBC and in the major London concert halls, and has made a number of highly acclaimed recordings

Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the delights of early music.

E3: Empower. Educate. Effect.

Boulder Quest Center Hosts E3 Event – Empower, Educate and Effect Day – for October Prevent Domestic Violence Month on Saturday, Oct. 24 with Free Women’s Self Defense and Yoga Class

Mary A. Casey II, a third degree black belt and co-founder of the Boulder Quest Center, knows about women’s self defense and believes in offering her skills back to the community. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Casey is donating use of her dojo to host a series of events open to the public to support women’s empowerment, education, and to positively effect change in the world.

Events will take place at 1200 Yarmouth Avenue (1/2 block east of Broadway) in North Boulder will include a women’s yoga class at 9 am, a women’s self defense seminar from 4-6 pm, and a Think Humanity fund raiser starting at 9:30 am with jewelry made by refugee women living in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) in Uganda, available throughout the day.

“We are honored to have the Boulder Quest Center serve as a venue for community service to empower, educate, and positively effect the world,” said Casey, whose offers a free women’s self defense seminar every quarter which are well attended by Boulder County women. The October 24 training will arm women with responses to the most common attacks, teach de-escalation techniques, and demonstrate how to prevail over bigger attackers.

Boulder yoga instructor Hollie Hirst will lead a yoga class open to all women, with a special invitation to survivors of domestic violence. Poses will be oriented to help women connect with their power and for stress reduction. Hirst is certified with the Yoga Alliance and teaches a vinyasa-flow style class. She regularly volunteers to teach yoga and does advocacy work at Boulder’s Safe House Alliance for Progressive Non-Violence. Yoga attendees are invited to bring monetary and household donations, e.g. clothes, toys, books, etc. for Safe House families.

Loveland’s Boulder’s Beth Heckel, founder of the Colorado-based non-profit Think Humanity, will also participate in E3 Day. Heckel will be selling jewelry made by women living in African villages where 100 percent of the proceeds will go back to Think Humanity projects for women in the UNHCR refugee settlement camps.

“The Boulder Quest Center event is helping women have an empowered response to domestic violence and this is a good fit for Think Humanity,” said Heckel. “We are dedicated to creating a positive change in the world by helping refugee girls and orphans from war-affected countries. We assist girls in Kyangwali Refugee Camp in East Africa who have been victims of gender bias and violence. One of Think Humanity’s projects is to help the girls with malaria prevention and treatment, rent, food, and to receive a quality education.” In sub-Saharan Africa, a child under the age of five dies from malaria every 30 seconds. Think Humanity materials will be at the Boulder Quest Center starting at 9:30 am.

About the Boulder Quest Center

The Boulder Quest Center is an independent martial arts dojo opened in 2005 by Mary Aitoshi Casey II and her husband, Kevin Ji-Keitoshi Casey, both senior instructors in To-Shin Do and teachers of ninja meditation techniques. Ms. Casey has led on-site female self-defense and empowerment seminars such as “Divas Defend” for Outdoor Divas women’s sports store, Lululemon, Spectra Logic, the Boulder Independent Business Alliance, and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. The To-Shin Do lineage was founded by Stephen K. Hayes, a black belt Hall of Fame instructor, author of 18 books on martial arts, and former personal guard to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Additional information is available at the Boulder Quest Center web site or by calling 303.440.3647.

Move Into Life: A Free Presentation of Anat Baniel's Life-changing Book

Remember a time when you were bursting with energy, curiosity and creativity? When your body felt strong and flexible, free of any aches and pains?

Based on Anat Baniel's book, Move Into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality (Harmony Books, 2009), Tanya Mirchandani and Andrew Tarr will present a method to experience renewed, intensified vitality–greater flexibility, strength, sensuality, clarity of mind, and enthusiasm––no matter what your age or physical condition.

Anat Baniel's approach is based on her close study with Dr. Feldenkrais and in clinical psychology. The lessons in this book can be applied to anyone's life, and the presenters will do some simple exercises with the group that demonstrate the method and it's effects.

Tanya Mirchandani, Certified Anat Baniel Method (ABM) Practitioner has trained with Baniel for three years. Andrew Tarr is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner and ABM Practitioner for Children.

"Anat's work is life changing and so is this book." –Jack Canfield, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles

"This book puts the living back into life." –Larry Dossey, M.D., author of The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things

Date: Wednesday, October 21 from 6-7:30pm.
Location: At Borders Books, 29th Street Shopping District, Boulder.

Missa Tariro: Mass of Hope Fuses Latin Mass with African Music Traditions

Kutandara & The Longmont Chorale perform the Missa Tariro: Mass of Hope today, October 17, at 7:30pm, Calvary Church, 21st & Gay Streets in Longmont.

An electrifying and energetic concert fusing the ancient African music traditions of the Shona peoples with Latin, jazz, gospel, classical, and world folk influences, both ensembles will perform their separate repertoire for the first part of the concert. It will then conclude with both groups combining to perform two selections from Missa Tariro - Mass of Hope, written by R. Seaton McIntosh, founder and director of Kutandara.

"My friends and colleagues in Zimbabwe live a much different life than I do. Today, everyone in Zimbabwe is suffering. Life expectancy is 37. Inflation is horrendous. One out of every four people is infected with HIV/AIDS. There is no gas. There is no food. Make-shift orphanages house thousands of children. Every year I receive news from friends that not one or two, but several, members of the family have passed away. Yet somehow the living press onward.

"Our Shona friends exemplify the joy of life as they continue to live and love, give thanks, make music, dance and persevere. That is why I have named this work Misa Tariro: Mass of Hope." ~ R. S. McIntosh

Work began on this massive undertaking in 2001, shortly after composer Randy McIntosh returned from Zimbabwe. While there, Randy attended ceremonies and witnessed how villages use music to create and sustain community. The music Randy now writes is inspired by what he experienced in Zimbabwe. In composing his Misa Tariro, he used Shona poetry and proverbs combined with Latin and Greek texts from the ancient form of the mass. The marimba ensemble provides the energetic pulse in this amazing composition. Randy has truly captured the responsive flow of spirit in the music and worship he witnessed in Zimbabwe.

Beyond this beautiful musical form and the dynamic power inherent in a large chorus and the marimbas themselves, Randy stresses that the ultimate inspiration for this work lies in the resiliency of the Zimbabwean people in the face of their unbelievable hardships.

Tickets are available locally at the Twin Peaks Mall Information Booth, at the King Soopers tickets sales counter, at the Daily Times-Call main office (350 Terry St., Longmont)and at the door.

Ticket prices

Single concert price - available at the door:
Adult: $15
Senior: $12
Student: $10
Family Package: $40 (2 adults + up to 4 children)

Season tickets to the Longmont Chorale are also available.

Colorado Bioneers This Weekend!

The annual Bioneers conference is a hub of visionary and practical solutions, gathering people at the crossroads of ecological restoration, the business of sustainability, social justice and the sacred. Bioneers inspires, educates and connects people to act effectively with practical solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring the Earth's imperiled ecosystems and healing human communities and economies.

The 7th annual Colorado Bioneers features a live simulcast of Bioneers plenaries; a marketplace featuring products and services for sustainable living; film, music and arts; children's activities; and over 24 sessions and workshops. By linking internationally renowned speakers with local topics and experts, the Colorado Bioneers satellite conference inspires a potent 'global-local' approach towards local and regional solutions.

Registration is affordable. Cost is $20/day, $12/day for students, and free for CU-Boulder students. Multi-day discounts, student, educator and senior discounts, scholarships, and volunteers' opportunities available.

Local highlights of Colorado Bioneers include:

Dialogue Council, Fri. - Sun., 2:00 - 3:20 (Norlin Library British Studies Room). Join us as Bioneers presenters, Indigenous leaders, government officials, youth leaders, and Bioneers participants engage in an on-going dialogue exploring the deeper underlying philosophies and dynamics that affect us all as we move toward finding the solutions that will create a just and sustainable world. Presented by Ian Sanderson.

Local Agriculture: The Future of Food in Boulder County, Fri., 3:20 - 5:30 p.m. (Humanities 1B90), panel featuring Shanan Olson (Abbondanza Organic Seeds and Produce), Cindy Torres (Longmont Farmers Market, Boulder County Food and Agriculture Policy Council), Corwin Bell (Back Yard Hive), Shannon Francis (Woodbine Ecology Center), and Zia Parker (Willow Way Wellness), moderated by Michael Brownlee.

Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered, keynote address by Woody Tasch (in person), Friday, 7:00 p.m. (Humanities 150). In a world of ever-accelerating capital markets, a world in which there is no such thing as money that is too fast, a company that is too big, or intermediation that is too complex, Slow Money asks: Can investing in local food systems offer an authentic, viable alternative? If organic farming and small food enterprises are key to the health of the economy, society and the soil, how can they attract more funding from government, philanthropy, and capital markets? What would the world be like if we invested 50% of our assets within 50 miles of where we live?

Introduction to the Crash Course, Sat., 3:20 - 5:30 p.m., by Don Hall (Humanities 135). Chris Martenson's Crash Course as helped hundreds of thousands of people to better understand the current economic and environmental crisis and take action to prepare themselves and their communities for the changes that are to come. In this introduction, we will take a tour through the Economy, Energy, and the Environment to understand how and why "the next twenty years are going to be completely unlike the last."

Carbon Neutral: Ending Our Contribution to Global Warming, Sat., 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., by Michael Brownlee (Humanities 1B80). It is time to reverse the disastrous course of profound unsustainability that threatens the health and well-being of the entire biosphere. We must now rise to the occasion and begin to set things aright-from bottom up. We must start in our own back yards, in our own neighborhoods, in our own Main Streets, in our own communities. Learn how we can do the unthinkable, what no other community in this nation has had the will to do so far: make a solid commitment together to end our contribution to global warming and become carbon neutral by 2020.

Transition: The Most Inspiring Movement in the World (and how you can bring it to your community)!, Sun., 3:20 - 5:30 p.m., by Michael Brownlee. FIRST HOUR: Hundreds of communities around the world are joining together in what is perhaps the fastest-growing and most significant social change movement in history, unleashing their collective genius to meet the monumental challenges of peak oil and climate change. Transition engages whole communities in strengthening themselves against the effects of global crises, resulting in a life that is more fulfilling, socially connected and resilient. This workshop will explore the revolutionary Transition process as it is being applied in communities from the UK to Japan, focusing on keys to relocalizing and strengthening local economies. SECOND HOUR: A panel of Colorado Transition Initiative representatives discuss the development of transition throughout the state.

Local Currency, Barter, and Trade: Developing Our Own Economic Infrastructure, Sun., 3:20 - 4:20, panel featuring Annette Riggs (Community Connect Trade Association), Mark Fischer (Inspire Commerce), Howard Lambert (SkillShare Network of Boulder County), and Mickki Langston (Mile High Business Alliance). In the past, local currencies and exchange systems have been of great benefit during challenging times. This panel discussion will explore what solutions are on the horizon that we could begin implementing now.

It all takes place on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado

Boulder Wilderness Shuttle Offers Fall Foliage and Elk Bugling Tours For Boulder Visitors and Residents

Boulder Wilderness Shuttle, LLC offers fall foliage and elk bugling tours for Boulder visitors and residents. The company is offering six new tours: afternoon elk bugling; morning photography workshop; fall foliage 1-day guided hiking; fall foliage 1-day guided biking; fall foliage 1-day sightseeing; and a 2-day fall foliage biking (road or mountain) and hiking tour.

The tours travel to Rocky Mountain National Park and throughout the county of Boulder. The afternoon elk tour spans the dusk hours when bugling most often takes place and focuses on education about elk behavior and the fall rutting season.

The morning photography workshop tour is tailored to improving photo skills and understanding how to take great outdoor photos.

The fall foliage tours focus on enjoying and finding the best spots to observe the changing colors. Participants can chose between guided hiking, sightseeing, and a two-day guided hiking and guided biking (road or mountain) tour.

The single day tours last 6-9 hours in length and all tours provide access, education, support, and professional educators/guides.

Boulder Wilderness Shuttle is also offering its tours as part of package deals with three local hotels: The Hotel Boulderado; The Millennium Harvest House Boulder; and The St Julien Hotel and Spa.

“We are very excited to have this service available to our guests,” says Tiffany Yoder, Director of Revenue and Marketing at the Hotel Boulderado. “These packages are an exciting and educational way to explore and learn about outdoors and wildlife around Boulder”. Wendy Pifer, Director of Revenue at the Millennium Harvest House noted: “We know our guests will welcome the opportunity to see the changing aspen colors and learn about the Rocky Mountain Elk. We are planning a fall tour for our sales and marketing team to experience the sights, sounds, and education ourselves”.

Elk Bugling Tours are offered through October 30. Visit the Fall Foliage and Elk Bugling Tours web page for details about all six fall tours.

About Boulder Wilderness Shuttle, LLC.

Boulder Wilderness Shuttle, LLC, was founded in 2009 by Joshua Baruch. Mr. Baruch is a former mountain guide with a background in environmental/adventure education, mountain search and rescue, and health care. Boulder Wilderness Shuttle employs four outdoor educators/guides whose experience centers in hiking, biking, fishing, mountaineering, backcountry skiing/snowshoeing, and photography. For more information about Boulder Wilderness Shuttle, please visit the website.

“Cloudy Visions” is Pure Beauty

Colleen Hoerner's pastel exhibit “Cloudy Visions” is at the McGuckin Design Center from October 22-31.

The artist says of her work "Although working realistically with many subjects, I find I return to the subject of clouds because of the beauty I see in them. Most of my cloud paintings show reflected light that illuminates on top, underneath, or from with them. I feel clouds can be both fragile and powerful, opaque and transparent, large and small."

A portion of sales of Colleen's work displayed at McGuckin Design Center benefits Boulder County Arts Alliance artist services. Opening reception is October 22, 5-7pm.

McGuckin Design Center is located at 2560 Canyon Blvd. For more information, visit the Boulder County Arts Alliance website, or call 303-447-2422.

LAST CALL: Request for Winter/Spring Events & Photos

Boulder Magazine is now collecting event information and photos for the Winter 2009/Spring 2010 issue. This issue will be on the streets by Dec. 1 and will reach some 250,000 readers, both locals and visitors. In addition to listings, each issue of the magazine contains 18 or 20 entertaining and informative articles, profiles and essays about people, the arts, sports, health, science, business, politics, history, food and fashion in Boulder County.

Boulder Magazine gladly lists local events for free. Please let us know what's happening between Dec. 1, 2009, and May 31, 2010, by e-mailing your information to events@brockpub.com. The EXTENDED deadline is Oct. 14, 2009 at noon.

To help us keep our listings accurate, please follow this format:

First, type the name of the organization or artist and the event title in the SUBJECT LINE of the message. (If you are submitting multiple events for one organization, please type just the name of the organization.)

Then, in the BODY of the message, give us:

• Title of the event
• Event description (100 words at most)
• Date(s), time(s) and location(s), including city and street address
• Contact information (phone number and Web address)

PHOTOGRAPHS: Please DO send photos! They should be high-resolution color photos, suitable for publication, at 300 dpi or better at 4 x 6 inches. We're always looking for dynamic images that readers will have not seen elsewhere. Please include a photo credit and caption information with each one.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO: Wednesday, Oct. 14 at noon. We can't promise to include information received after that.

If you know your event details are likely to change, please DON'T send us multiple messages with bits and pieces of information, but hold off and send a single e-mail closer to the deadline. In case some details are still not set at deadline time, please send basic information about the event; readers can phone you or check your website for updates.

Send your information to events@brockpub.com. Although we prefer e-mail, you hand-deliver your listing 1919 14th Street, Suite 709, Boulder, Colorao 80304.

Thanks, and we look forward to working with you!

Library Performance of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein - Thursday, October 8

Enter the mind and imagination of English writer Mary Shelley, best known as the author of Frankenstein.

Storyteller and performer Susan Marie Frontczak steps into Shelley’s shoes to draw the audience into the nineteenth century parlor to learn more about this person, both personally and psychologically.

The one-hour program consists of a 45 minute monologue in-character, followed by a question and answer period with “Mary Shelley”. The program will be held in the Longmont Library meeting rooms on Thursday, October 8 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.

This program is free and open to the public and is funded by the Friends of the Longmont Public Library.

Longmont Public Library
409 4th Avenue
Longmont, CO 80501
303-651-8782

A Public Party for Boulder’s Arts Scene!

AmericanStyle Magazine Readers Rank Boulder among Top 25 For Arts

City honored for its commitment to arts institutions and arts tourism
Boulder County Arts Alliance and Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery plan public celebration



Once again the readers of AmericanStyle magazine have named Boulder as among America's Top 25 Arts Destinations, ranking it No. 8 in this year's survey. The magazine recognizes the power of the arts in promoting economic development and community revitalization.

Through the poll, readers tell AmericanStyle where they’ve been going to view, enjoy and shop for great art. Says publisher Wendy Rosen, “We all know that art and handcraft galleries are among the few remaining places where you can find authentic, made-in- America gifts and art products.”

While Boulder has received such recognition numerous times in the past and from a variety of sources, this marks the first time that the public will be invited to join in celebrating the honor. In an unusual collaboration between the non-profit and for profit sectors of the arts community, the Boulder County Arts Alliance and the Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery have joined forces to orchestrate an artful ceremony surrounding the award’s presentation to the City of Boulder.

Among the individuals and organizations contributing to this celebration are Philip Sneed of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Frequent Flyers Productions Aerial Dance Theatre, Helander Dance Theater Company, and The Dairy Center for the Arts. Receiving the award on behalf of the City will be Mayor, Matthew Applebaum. Those in attendance can expect fun, food, and entertainment galore. Champagne Toast generously provided by North Boulder Liquors.

Who: The Boulder County Arts Alliance and the Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery
What: A Public Party for Boulder’s Arts Scene
When: October 9th from 5-7 p.m.
Where: The Dairy Center for the Arts

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is at Boulder’s Dinner Theatre through Nov. 7. Music and lyrics by William Finn. Book by Rachel Sheinkin.
Directed and choreographed by Alicia Dunfee.
Based on C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original play by The Farm.

By Rebecca Jessup

Nerds, unite! Geeks and eggheads, welcome! This musical brings all our most painful pre-teen (and teenage) moments to life with clarity, humor, and just the right combination of affection and horror. If we weren’t laughing and tapping our toes, we’d be sobbing. The New York Times aptly called this show “A Chorus Line with pimples.”

The contestants in the Putnam County Spelling Bee are middle-schoolers played vividly by adults, who are challenged to spell words like “chimerical,” “hasenpfeffer” and “crepuscule.” (At each performance, a couple of volunteer audience members are brought onstage to play spellers who don’t make the final cut.) The six key students are academic overachievers whose social insecurities and ineptitudes are palpable.

As in A Chorus Line, each contestant gets the spotlight long enough to explain his or her particular psychic pain. Olive (Alicia Dunfee) has a mother who has effectively abandoned her and a father who doesn’t show up for the bee, and her best friend is the dictionary. Leaf (Matthew Peters) comes from a family of hippies, makes his own clothes, has arrived in the contest by default, and doubts that he’s smart. Billy Barfee (Scott Beyette) is the nerdiest of the bunch, the greatest overachiever and the most maladroit in relating to others. Chip (Bryan Jackson) is the previous year’s winner, on whom puberty has landed like a cartoon safe falling from the sky. Marcy Park (Anna Hanson) is a parochial-school automaton who speaks six languages, plays piano and violin, and is pained to hear herself described as “all business.” Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Mary McGroary), the youngest, suffers from severe anxiety covered by a wide smile; While her two fathers fuss over her, she speculates as to who and where her mother is, and whether they’ll ever meet.

The spellers are ushered through the competition by three adults: Rona Peretti (Shelly Cox-Robie), the one-time champion who has run the bee for years; Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Wayne Kennedy), the pronouncer; and “comfort counselor” Mitch Mahoney (Leonard Barrett), who hands out hugs and juice boxes to the losers.

As the characters make their way through the spelling bee, they recognize and protest the inherent unfairness of the contest (as in the song “Pandomonium”), and each character is personally tested and challenged. Only one takes the champion’s cup, but none leaves without some transformation. The audience may not notice the lessons for the laughter.

The stage set effectively evokes a high school gym. The costumes are witty and successful illustrations of the characters. All the voices and performances are strong and true, a testament to the talents of the cast, as well as the direction. Overall, the show is completely winning.

Rebecca Jessup (jessupr @ comcast.net) is a Latin teacher and freelance writer.

Breasts for Peace

Yep, you read the headline right. Now go ahead and snicker if you must. But when you’re finished, take just a moment to understand why Lyons artist Sally White King recently invited area women to leave imprints of their breasts on muslin prayer flags at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.

Apparently, when soldiers from the Dagara tribe in the West African nation of Burkina Faso return home from war, they walk through a welcoming line of women, whose bare breasts are considered nurturing symbols that help heal the horrors of war.

“War is not permitted back into the village,” King says. “When I heard the story, it hit me like a lightning bolt, and I wanted to do something with it for the American soldiers who are returning home from war in the Middle East.” And that’s how the Breast Prayers for Peace project was born.

After staging a similar event in Lyons earlier this year, King worked with a friend, Sarah Kinn, who’s BMoCA’s adult-education coordinator, to organize Boulder’s event. About 25 women turned out each time, including several women in their 70s and a mother and her daughter.

“It was definitely a weird experience,” Kinn says, noting that the women were protected from public view while their chests were painted and they made their impressions. But she says the participants were grateful to be given a unique opportunity to show their support for American troops in a way that reverses the objectification of women’s bodies and emphasizes their “power of healing and nurturing.”

It was also “lighthearted and humorous,” Kinn says. “When you get naked with other people, you bond somehow.”

King strung the prayer flags on an 80-foot-long rope, and hopes to find a place to display them soon. “I’m having a blast with this,” she says.

—Michael Whiteman-Jones

MindSpiral: Live Space Music & Laser Star Show Comes to Fiske Planetarium, Oct 3

There was a day, anyone with a tape machine, a synthesizer and some effects called themselves "electronic musicians."

But, the genre of ambient/space and electronic music has grown up. MindSpiral, a fine example of thoughtful, musical, soulful electronic space music will be at Fiske Planetarium this Saturday, October 3 at 7pm. This must see, must hear event, complete with the laser show magic of the planetarium, is a kid friendly show and tickets are only $10.

MindSpiral is the name given to a series of collaborations between Boulder resident Mike Metlay and various members of the worldwide electronic music community. This year's project pairs Metlay with ambient/space music pioneer Tony Gerber.

Gerber has been in the electronic music scene for many years. He built his first synthesizer in 1975 at age 14, and began experimenting with recording sounds using cellophane covering the erase head of a reel-to-reel tape deck. He continues to be a pioneer both through his continually maturing music and evolving soundscapes, which now include Native American flutes and new digital technology, and through his involvement in the 3D virtual world of Second Life.

Gerber's reputation as performer Cypress Rosewood in Second Life has marked him as one of the most successful musicians to use the virtual world to catapult his career––spawning a real world/virtual world radio show, hundreds of in-world concerts, television interviews and numerous CDs released under his "avatar's" name. This is Gerber's first visit to the Denver/Boulder area, where he already has a solid fan base from his Second Life work. His music has a reputation for uplifting, healing and relaxing on a very deep and profound level.

Metlay brings a battery of sampled and digitally generated sounds wrapped up in his laptops. I've heard some of mindSpiral's earlier offerings (there have been eight previous collaborations) and this is some solid, great electronic space music played with intelligence and intent.

Metlay's 30-year career is as an artist, producer, bandleader, community-builder, and event organizer in the realm of experimental music. While Mike is most famous for the Different Skies concerts at Arcosanti, Arizona, he has gained critical and popular acclaim for the concerts he does at home for his local audience under the name mindSpiral. Metlay also performs in Second Life under the avatar name Sprial Sands.

The evening promises to be full of soaring, uplifting spiritual space music of a sort rarely heard in Colorado, fun and exciting for listeners of all ages, with the Fiske’s famous visuals providing an inspiring backdrop for mindSpiral’s live music... including a guest appearance by Fritz, the Fiske’s famous Zeiss planetarium projector, who will rise from his hibernation pit to join Tony and Mike under a starry and laser-lit sky.

It’s like nothing you’ve ever heard before. It’s not to be missed. It’s mindSpiral!

GET THE SCOOP

mindSpiral
Fiske Planetarium
Saturday, October 3, 7pm
Tickets: $10. On sale now at the Fiske Planetarium box office.

Sponsored by Sonorant VR2L Media™, bringing the worlds music to virtual worlds...and back!


BONUS: Read the Daily Camera interview with Mike Metlay by Greg Glasgow in April, 2007. NOTE THE TIME OF THE 2007 SHOW WAS 8PM. SATURDAY'S SHOW IS AT 7PM.

Ticket information also available on the CU Events website