TODAY
Mardi Gras at Snowmass
25th annual Snowmass Village Mardi Gras Festival
Today through Tuesday
snowmassvillage.com or 800-SNOWMASS
The revelry doesn’t really get going until Tuesday, but hey, it’s Presidents weekend, so why not make the most of one of the state’s oldest Mardi Gras celebrations? Today, there’s a poker run on skis and a free concert on the Snowmass Village Mall featuring The Samples. On Tuesday, the fun starts at dawn, with a costumed uphill snowshoe races with $15,000 in prizes at stake. Around noon, local restaurants will offer Cajun food, hurricane drink specials and crawdad boils. The afternoon will be filled with kids activities, and a parade that ends with the coronation of a local king and queen.
MONDAY
9 a.m. Mardi Gras Workshop | Kids between the ages of 6 and 12 can create a mask and learn about Mardi Gras, the famous pre-Lenten festival celebrated around the world. $23; $20 for South Suburban Recreation District members. | Goodson Recreation Center, 6315 S. University Boulevard, Centennial| sspr.org or 303-347-5999
8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wildlife Day Camp | Learn about native animals and play wildlife games in South Platte Park. For kids 6-12 years old. $32; $26 for South Suburban Recreation District Members | 3000 W. Carson Drive, Littleton | sspr.org or 303-347-5999
THURSDAY
7 p.m. The Secrets of Making IMAX Films: Dolphins
| Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez, Ph.D., one of the main characters in the Oscar-nominated “Dolphins,” shares details about the challenges he and the crew faced when filming. $15; $12 for Denver Museum of Nature and Science members | Phipps IMAX Theater, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver| 303-322-7009, dmns.org
FRIDAY
3 p.m. Al Bartlett, redux | If you grew up in Colorado, chances are good that you’ve heard CU professor emeritus Albert A. Bartlett’s talk on exponential population growth – he’s delivered it 1,623 times since 1969. He’ll do it again at 3 p.m., at the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit at the University Memorial Center. $50 for one-day pass to the Summit | Near Broadway and Euclid Avenue, Boulder | ecenter.colorado.edu/rmss2007
6 p.m. Rare, Not-So-Rare Book Auction | The Denver Public Library and Library Friends Foundation present the 24th annual Rare and Not-So-Rare Book and Art Auction. This year’s catalog includes an 11-volume set of “Mammalia, The Naturalist’s Library” and a limited-edition of Hunter S. Thompson’s “Gonzo.” $55.| Denver Public Library Central Branch, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway | 720-865-2051
SATURDAY
1 p.m. Smoke Across the Prairie Railroad Days | Dan Abbott, author of “Stairway to the Stars: Colorado’s Argentine Central Railway,” and Ken Jessen, author of “Railroads of Northern Colorado,” discuss the Argentine Central and Great Western railroads. Their talks will be followed by Fort Morgan Museum director Marne Jurgemeyer’s presentation “Smoke, Steam, Dust and Water: Train Wrecks and Railroad Disasters.” Free | Fort Morgan Museum Community Room, 414 Main St., Fort Morgan| ftmorganmus.org or 970-542-4010
