Critic’s pick
Mexican independence celebration
Sunday. Salute Mexican independence at the Fiestas Patrias at Civic Center. The celebration includes the traditional “Grito de Dolores” ceremony, a re-creation of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous cry for independence from the Spanish colonialists in 1810. Plenty of food and drink will be available, plus a children’s area. Live music on the bill includes Alegres de la Sierra, Patrulla 81, Horoscopos de Durango and Calibre 50. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Civic Center, Broadway and Colfax Avenue. Free. Kathleen St. John
Family Fun
Fitness festival at Children’s Museum
Sunday. The whole family gets a workout at “Hop, Skip and a Jump Start” at the Children’s Museum of Denver. It’s a fitness bonanza with events for every age, from a 10-foot Infant Crawl to a full 5K run. The morning starts with the stroller-friendly 5K, followed by the “Mini-Meets” for youngsters. Registration includes post-race snacks, a T-shirt (or onesie) plus museum admission. 5K starts at 9 a.m. Sunday; Mini-Meets start at 10 a.m. Children’s Museum of Denver, 2121 Children’s Museum Drive; 303-422-7444. 5K registration is $30 through today, $38 Sunday. Children’s Mini-Meets $12 through today, $18 on Sunday. To register, visit or call 303-561-0104.
Oktoberfest takes over Ballpark neighborhood
Weekends through Oct. 25. Prost! Oktoberfest is back again, filling the Ballpark neighborhood with beer, bratwurst, lederhosen and lieder. The festival celebrates Denver’s German heritage with two weekends of fun — music, contests, dancing and giant, family-friendly beer tents. Back again are the Das Hustlehoff 5K, on Saturday morning, and the Long Dog Derby dachshund races, Sept. 25. This year’s Long Dog Derby is a full day of racing, including a “Wannabe Wiener” division for dachshund mixes and a costume contest. 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. today, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Larimer Street between 21st and 22nd streets. Free; registration required for 5K and Long Dog Derby.
Take a City Park walk to fight Alzheimer’s
Saturday. Walk with purpose at the 2011 Walk to End Alzheimer’s at City Park. The Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser includes a 5K walk, 5K run and a fun run for kids. New this year are Promise Flowers for registered participants — blooms that represent promises to honor, care and fight for a cure. Registration is free, but participants are encouraged to make a personal donation and raise money. Check-in starts at 7 a.m. Kids Fun Run begins at 7:50 a.m.; 5K run at 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. City Park, East 23rd Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
Not Ready for Naptime to rock Swallow Hill
Saturday. Kids rock out, indie-music style, when Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players visit Swallow Hill Music. One of the big names in the “kindie” scene, Grammy-nominee Roberts performs family- friendly rock music all over the country. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Daniels Hall at Swallow Hill Music, 71 E. Yale Ave.; 303-777-1003. Tickets are $14 in advance, $16 day-of-show. Swallow Hill members receive a $2 discount.
Art
Rich Oaxaca region in the spotlight
Through Dec. 18. In conjunction with the Consulate General of Mexico and Mexican Cultural Center, the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities is presenting “Oaxaca: In Living Culture.” The exhibition, drawn from the Abarca Family Collection, focuses on one of Mexico’s most artistically rich regions and includes examples by such noted artists as Rufino Tamayo and Rodolfo Morales. It opens this weekend and runs through Dec. 18. Free. 720-898-7200 or . Kyle MacMillan
Classical music
Baroque Chamber’s “Art of Violin”
Through the weekend. The Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado performs works from one of music history’s richest periods on original instruments. The increasingly popular ensemble opens its 2011-12 season with “The Art of the Violin,” a program of works by such composers as Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli. Concerts are set for 7:30 p.m. today, First Congregational Church, 1128 Pine St., Boulder; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Bahá’í Center of Metro Denver, 225 E. Bayaud Ave., and 4 p.m. Sunday, Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Ave. $24. 303-889-1012 or . Kyle MacMillan
Debut for conductor of Springs Philharmonic
Saturday and Sunday. The new music director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Josep Caballe-Domenech, makes his debut this weekend. The 37-year-old Spanish conductor will lead a program featuring Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, with pianist Norman Krieger as soloist, and Mahler’s First Symphony, “Titan.” Performances are set for 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., in Colorado Springs. $19-$57. 719-520-7469 or . Kyle MacMillan
Film
Roaring in 3-D, but for two weeks only
Starting Friday. Before there was Pixar, and long before Disney purchased that mighty brand, the studio Walt built did some amazing animation. There was “Beauty and the Beast.” And then there was 1994’s wondrous “The Lion King,” about the Serengeti cub who would be king and the plot to thwart his ascension. Beginning in November, you can catch the staged version of Simba’s story at the Buell. Meanwhile, Disney has retooled the classic for the 3-D set; check your local multiplexes for this two-week run. Lisa Kennedy
Artists’ symposium lets “Mud” goes out with a bang
By just about any measure, the Denver Art Museum’s “Marvelous Mud” has been a success.
This massive, unprecedented offering, which brings together eight complementary exhibitions, offers a multifaceted look at the ever-versatile medium of clay and showcases underappreciated facets of the museum’s holdings.
Though the DAM chooses not to release exhibition attendance numbers, it seems clear that for a presentation without the word “impressionism” in its title, it has been a hit with visitors.
This is the final weekend for “Marvelous Mud,” and it is ending with a bang. The museum is presenting “Overthrown: The State of Contemporary Ceramics,” an international symposium with 10 of the exhibited artists in panel discussions from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Making a rare Denver appearance, Peter Schjeldahl, one of this country’s most respected art critics, will open the symposium at 5:30 p.m. today with a talk on the place of ceramics in the current art scene. It’s in Ponti Hall in the museum’s north building.
The symposium is $125, with discounts available for museum members and other constituencies. Admission to the talk and a reception afterward is $25. 720-913-0152 or . Kyle MacMillan
