Saturday, March 31, 2007

Ben Franklin On Stage!

Tonight, join Mary and me for this exciting theatre event!

VENTURE WEST presents Burdette Parks as Benjamin Franklin, Printer, Etc. "Benjamin Franklin, Printer, Etc.", an original solo show written and performed by Burdette Parks to celebrate Ben's 300th Birthday opens at the Avenue Theatre on Thursday, March 29 through April 14.

For fifteen years, from 1982 to 1997, Mr. Parks presented his interpretation of America's most personable Founding Father to hundreds of audiences around the United States in his critically acclaimed one-man show, "Frankly, B. Franklin". His new show, "Benjamin Franklin, Printer, Etc.", brings Franklin back to the stage to celebrate the 300th birthday of this most prototypical of American prototypes.

Among numerous performances around the country, Parks has performed as Franklin before 100,000 at Washington D.C.'s bicentennial celebration of the Constitution in 1987, and with the Coast Guard Band in New London, CT.

As a printer and a businessman, Ben Franklin defined the beginnings of Americanism. As a Renaissance man in the age of Enlightenment, his curiosity and insights advanced the studies of physics, biology, meteorology, anthropology, and oceanography.

As a public servant he was intimately involved in the machinations that separated the colonies from Great Britain setting a new course for the New World. And as the best known and most highly regarded American in Europe, Franklin's prestige was vital in securing the support and aid that made it possible to win the Revolution.

In "Benjamin Franklin, Printer, Etc.", the audience is treated to a visit with Ben Franklin in his most comfortable environment--his print shop. This realization of the sly old statesman focuses on his practical side, a side that informed and influenced all other aspects of his multifarious life. Here is Franklin, the printer at work in his shop--at his press, setting type and printing. Acknowledging the audience, he entertains and enlightens his visitors with his thoughts, ideas and life stories as he goes about his business.

"Benjamin Franklin, Printer, Etc." will be at the Avenue Theatre, 417 E. 17th Avenue, March 29-April 14 with curtain time at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this special engagement are $22 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, and $18 for groups of 10 or more. Please call the box office at 303-329-6242 ### "Benjamin Franklin, Printer, Etc." by Burdette Parks An evening with Ben Franklin, the man. March 29-April 14. Thurs. / Fri. / Sat. 7:30 p.m. The Avenue Theatre, 417 E. 17th Avenue, Denver, CO 80203 Tickets: $22 adults, $20 students/seniors, $18 groups of 10 or more Box Office: 303-329-6242. Visa Mastercard Discover American Express accepted.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Light Opens Saturday!

Friday

2 p.m. IDEA Cafe Startup Workshop. If you are starting a new career, a new project, or a new business, join us! We share our startup experience and we brainstorm. Free and open to all, just bring your brain for the brainstorming! Panera Bread, 13th & Grant here in Denver, just a block from the State Capitol. More info and RSVP at http://ideacafe.meetup.com/1 (RSVP No, and you'll automatically get an invitation to next week's meeting) or just show up.

Saturday

Are you someone who likes to curl up with a good book? Then, you might want to visit Walden Books in the Cherry Creek Mall on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. to hear Catherine O'Connell speak about her new book, Well Bred and Dead.

1:00 p.m. Catherine O'Connell, WALDEN BOOKS,
Suite 221 3000 East First Avenue Cherry Creek, CO 80206
303-377-4432

The Light in the Piazza

If you are ready for some romance and love music and lyrics that gives you goosebumps, then you'll enjoy The Light in the Piazza, which opens this weekend.

Direct from Broadway and the winner of six 2005 Tony® Awards, including Best Score, The Light in the Piazza.

8:00p


THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

March 27, 2007 -- April 8, 2007
The Buell Theatre
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Tue–Fri 8pm
Sat 2 & 8pm
Sun 2 & 7:30pm
*Special Weekday matinee:
Thur, Apr 5 2pm

Run Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

TICKET PRICES
Fri/Sat evening
$30, $45, $60, $65
All other performances
$25, $40, $55, $60
*April 5 matinee
$10, $20, $35, $40

Thursday, March 22, 2007

IDEA Cafe Friday Afternoon, Great Free Events This Weekend!

Friday

2 p.m. IDEA Café. Panera Bread, 13th & Grant St. Starting something new? We help each other turn our inspirations into effective action. We hear successful entrepreneurs share their startup stories and we brainstorm. RSVP No, you’ll get an invitation to the next meeting! RSVP at http://ideacafe.meetup.com/1


6 p.m. Socrates Café. Panera Bread, 13th & Grant St. Good discussion about life’s larger topics. Free and open to all. No preparation required, no RSVP.


Saturday

Starting today, the Botanic Gardens will be crawling with ten giant sculptures — ranging from a three-foot ladybug to a ten-foot ant — made from whole trees, saplings and other forest materials. There will also be classes ranging from "How to Create Your Own Butterfly Garden" for adults to "Self-Guided Big Bugs Discovery Backpacks" for kids who want to search for bugs all on their own.

Tickets are included with admission; the bugs will stay up through June 24.

Today is family free day, with interactive programs for kids, insect slide show, cockroach races, exhibit tours and more, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.


Ultimate Music Xperience Annual Capitol Hill People's Fair music auditions, featuring 60 diverse competing bands.

Daily from Sat., March 24 until Sun., March 25, 10:00am-6:00pm. Free.
Bender's Tavern, 13th & Grant St., Denver.

6:30 p.m. Astronomy Open House. View the crescent moon, star clusters, the Orion nebula, and Saturn's rings through DU's famed 20-inch Clark refractor as well as dozens of attended amateur telescopes.
$1 donation for 20-inch telescope viewing; other activities free

Too much!

That's what Mary and I have decided about posting to this blog each day, it is just too much!

Too much for us, and too much for you readers.

So starting tomorrow we'll be posting here each Friday morning with a look at what's ahead for the weekend and beyoud.

Join us, OK?

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Free Movie

2 p.m. - 3 Women
1977. Directed by Robert Altman. Starring Sissy Spacek, Shelley Duvall, Janice Rule. 124 minutes. Rated PG. Shown in the Central Denver Public Library, 13th & Broadway, Level B2 Conference Center.

Listen to this interesting interview of Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google and his views on innovation, entrepreneurship, and careers: “The most important characteristic of the entrepreneur is that he is going to do it whether you give him permission or not. He is driven by passion, which can’t be taught.”

Eric joined Google as Chairman and CEO in 2001 and runs the company in a unique triumvirate along with co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. The three of them were recently ranked the #1 most important person on the web by PC World.

Marriage Workshop Begins Tonight.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Good Discussion and Interesting Theatre

Socrates Cafe tonight, good discussion on important topics. 6 p.m., Panera Bread, 13th & Grant, Denver. No RSVP required. For more:
Zbutton

Saturday

8 p.m. MODERN MUSE THEATRE COMPANY presents “SEASCAPE” by Edward Albee Directed by Stephen J. Lavezza and Gabriella Cavallero. This 1975 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by one of American theatre's most famous writers raises important issues about life, relationships, and moving forward. Plays thru April 15 Thur/Fri./Sat. at 8 p.m.; Sun. 2:00 p.m. (no show Sun. Apr. 8) $20 senior/student/group discounts available The Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo Street, Denver

Going to the Movies?

Check out our new link to the world's biggest movie database, including
when and where for all the movies now playing in Denver.

http://www.imdb.com/showtimes/location/denver,co

Next Week

Free Online Small Business Seminar from MicroSoft

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Join us for DanceWorks in Boulder tonight!

Dancing Machines
Amber Taufen
Westword

DanceWorks 2007 is a visual banquet. "It's going to be a visual banquet," promises Nada Diachenko, director of DanceWorks 2007. She's not kidding: This year's installment of the University of Colorado at Boulder's annual faculty dance concert is a night of guaranteed booty-shaking.

"Three of the six pieces have video projections," Diachenko continues. "All of the pieces have something of interest; it's all contemporary dance, but coming from a mixture of influences and backgrounds."

Tickets to tonight's extravaganza are only $8 to $10; doors open at 8 p.m. at the Mainstage Theatre on the CU-Boulder campus, with repeat performances tomorrow night and Sunday.

Date/Time: Daily from Thu., March 15 until Sat., March 17, 8:00pm
Price: $6-$10
Event Phone: 303-492-8181
Event URL: http://www.cutheatre.org

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Free jazz tonight for Denver When & Where Readers!

The best deal in Denver tonight!

Soul Night with singer, Seth and Soul School
Say the secret password: "Starfish" get in for free!
8:00 doors open at 7:00.

Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret,
16th St. Mall at Arapahoe
Gorgeously Underground
at the historic D&F Clock Tower
303-293-0075

Do you have an event you'd like us to help get the word out about? Email JohnSWren@aol.com with the details!

"The American dream (is) that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement." James Truslow Adams in his 1931 The Epic of America. 1st time the term American dream was ever used.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Since Mary and I are now engaged to be married, we are going to attend this tonight:

Holy Matrimony Panel Discussion: Marriage and Family from Christian Perspectives
Family serves as the primary unit in most religious and cultural traditions. From finding a spouse to raising children, the cycle of life and death is inextricable from the family experience. The panel will address the topic from three Christian perspectives: Quaker, Catholic and Lutheran. Holy Matrimony Panel Discussion: Marriage and Family from Christian Perspectives. 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Regis University Campus, Student Center Faculty Lounge

Need inspiration? Need help? Want to get involved in politics?

Sources of Daily Inspiration:

http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/ Click on today's date, listen to the inspirational message. Each weekday morning I (John) try to start my day listening to this after reading http://www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml

Do you want help?

Colorado 2-1-1 is a statewide initiative to provide information and referral service to residents in need of non-emergency (i.e. non-life-threatening) assistance. 2-1-1 is the easy-to-remember and universally recognizable telephone number that makes critical connection between individuals in need and available services.

This service has been operational since October, 2003 for Boulder and Broomfield counties as well as the greater Denver metro area. The help line/website, located at Mile High United Way, has the most comprehensive listing of non-profit health and human service agencies in the nine county area. The database has information on over 4,500 programs in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin and Jefferson counties. The Information and Referral Specialists who answer the phone are trained to focus on the caller’s situation and refer the caller to the most appropriate services.

If you are having trouble with your own drinking or drug abuse, trying to live now with someone who has a problem, if you are trying to cope with the problems that are the result of growing up in abusive family, or if you have any other problem, there is help. In addition to the easy to remember 2-1-1 telephone number, the database is available on-line at http:/211colorado.org

Do you want to have more of a voice in Denver politics?

Get active in the major political party of your choice. Now is a good time, with the city elections coming up in May, and the Democratic National Convention coming to Denver in 2008. One good way to get involved is to go to a Meetup for the major political party of your choice. There are many, many other ways to get involved. Check out the GOP Calendar to the left. (Does anyone know of a similar calendar for the Dems?)

Denver GOP meets tonight, John will be there.
http://republican.meetup.com/511
Denver Dems meets tomorrow, Mary will be there.
http://democrat.meetup.com/114

Begin it now!

Friday, March 9, 2007

Today and this weekend.

Today:

Colorado Nonprofit Association Awards Luncheon 2007 and special tribute to Steve Graham. Those interested in attending are still able to register the day of the event beginning at 10: 30 a.m. at the Adam's Mark Hotel. Special Guest Speakers:
Governor Bill Ritter, Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman and Colorado Attorney General John W. Suthers. Registration starts at 10:30 a.m. and the program begins at 11:30 a.m.

6 p.m. Socrates Cafe at Panera Bread, 13th & Grant St. Good conversation, very informal group, no preparation required, everyone is welcome. Share your thoughts on whatever topic is chosen for the night or just listen in. Free.

Tomorrow, basketball or theatre:

Mary and I will be at the 8 p.m. performance of The Perfect Party at the Playwright Theatre on E. 17th just West of York. They comedy is said to be much better than the John Moore review. It sounds to me it's questioning of the American Dream is the perfect conversation starter while the exhibition about Ben Franklin, the original American Dreamer, is in town. If you decide to join us, let's decided at intermission where to go for some good conversation after the play, OK?

It's hard to pass up the 8 p.m. Colorado Boy's 5A Championship at Coors Event Center in Boulder. After defeating Mullin last night, undefeated Aurora Central will take on East after their defeat of Dorghty.

All day tomorrow and Sunday 2007 Spring Orchid Show and Plant Sale, Denver Botanic Gardens, Cost of the show is free with Denver Botanic Gardens admission.

If you attend any of these events, post your comments here, OK? Have a great weekend!

Mary & John

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Tonight: Basketball or Ideas?

Colorado 5A Basketball Final 4 in the Coors Event Center, University of Colorado in Boulder.

Socrates Cafe, big talk, good discussion about life's larger questions. Sort of like those late night dorm discussions.

We just put up a link to the best calendar for Republican events, click on GOP Events to the left to check it out. (Note that it is not perfect, the Denver Republican Meetup next Monday is at 6:30 p.m., not 7:30 as listed.) Who knows of a similar calendar for Colorado/Denver Dems?

What are you going to do tonight? Do you know of other Denver calendars we should link to here? What do you think of this new site? Let us know by clicking "Comments" below.

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