Today. “The Day It Snowed Tortillas”: It sounds like the name of an un-frightening — and potentially delicious — sci-fi flick. Actually, it’s an old New Mexican folk tale, and now it’s a new show at the Denver Puppet Theater. Not to give too much away, but the story tells of clever Maria and her rather dim husband. Maria must use a lot of flour and a little ingenuity to save the day after her husband gets them in a heap of trouble. It’s a fun, sort-of-wintry comedy that’s great for all ages. The show runs through March 2. 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Denver Puppet Theater, 3156 W. 38th Ave.; 303-458-6446. Tickets are $6.
Saturday-Sunday. Dribble, pass, shoot — maybe dunk? The Denver Nuggets invite local kids to show off their b-ball skills at two Skills Challenges this weekend. Boys and girls ages 7 to 14 can work on their moves and enter a skills contest. Winners then advance to a regional competition. Bring your hoops dreams, plus a basketball to warm up with, and enter the Skills Challenge in Lafayette on Saturday or in Littleton on Sunday. 9 a.m. Saturday, Bob L. Burger Recreation Center, 111 W. Baseline Road, Lafayette; 303-665-0469. 9 a.m. Sunday, Buck Recreation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave., Littleton; 303-797-8787. Both events are free.
Thursday. Try to remain calm, Disney Channel addicts. On Thursday, a crew of Disney’s favorite friends will escape the TV and take the Budweiser Events Center stage in “Playhouse Disney.” The musical adventure features lots of familiar faces, like Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Pooh. But newer characters come to life too — Handy Manny and “Little Einsteins” Leo, Annie, Quincy and June join the journey to Mickey’s Clubhouse. There’s even a new neighbor from the Hundred Acre Wood: Darby, a little girl and friend of Pooh. It may be wise to get tickets in advance — a second show was added because of high demand. 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Budweiser Events Center, 5290 Arena Circle, Loveland; 970-619-4100. Tickets are $18, $26 and $34, plus facility fees. To purchase tickets, call 1-877-544-TIXX or visit .
Jan. 12. This weekend offers a great chance to do nothing after December’s holiday madness. But soon everyone is going to start getting bored of loafing around. Here’s an idea for next Saturday: The Denver Firefighters Museum hosts “Branded Land: Wildfire on the Range,” the latest presentation in the new Second Saturdays series. Each Second Saturday program looks at Colorado history from a firefighter’s perspective. In “Branded Land,” budding buckaroos will learn how cowboys battled fires threatening their livestock. They’ll also sing a cowboy song or two and recite cowboy poetry while learning about wildfire safety. If you miss this month’s Second Saturday, upcoming topics include “The African-American Firefighter” on Feb. 9 and “Women Who Fight Fires” on March 8. Noon, Denver Firefighters Museum, 1326 Tremont Place; 303-892-1436. The program is free with museum admission: adults $6, seniors and students $5, children 12 and under $4.
