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Things to do in Denver: Fall off the Dry January wagon at a brewery, and a bug-eating festival

Your best bets for the weekend also include Black History Month and a John Fielder exhibit

Chef Jose Avila of la Diabla serves a plate of tradition Mexican insects with a modern twist on Monday, March 13, 2023. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Chef Jose Avila of la Diabla serves a plate of tradition Mexican insects with a modern twist on Monday, March 13, 2023. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
John Wenzel, The Denver Post arts and entertainment reporter,  in Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)1DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 17: A head shot of Jonathan Shikes, Entertainment Editor/The Know on October 17, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
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Wagon train

Friday. Dry January has become such a big part of the scene over the past few years, that its end at the beginning of February is inspiring parties of their own. , at 7286 S. Yosemite St. in Centennial, will be one of several breweries and bars in metro Denver hosting congratulatory events with the Fall Off the Wagon Partyon Friday, Feb. 2.

The Country Western-themed event features a Western barbecue menu from Hesher BBQ Catering from noon to 8 p.m. on the patio, along with the release of Saga of The Undead Imperial Stout, which was brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla. There will also be free Resolute bandanas (while supplies last) to help embody a “hootin’ hollerin’ good time.” — Jonathan Shikes

Colorado nature photographer John Fielder donated his life's work to History Colorado, which will make it available in the public domain. (Provided by History Colorado)
Colorado nature photographer John Fielder donated his life's work to History Colorado, which will make it available in the public domain. (Provided by History Colorado)

Celebrating John Fielder

Through Jan. 27, 2025. As of last week, visitors to the History Colorado Center can see a new exhibition celebrating the late Colorado wildlife photographer and conservationist John Fielder. It’s part of a five-year run of rotating exhibitions in the new John Fielder Mezzanine Gallery, kicking off with “Flow: On the River with John Fielder,” which highlights the significance and beauty of the Colorado River and its tributaries, according to organizers.

󾱱,who died at age 73on Aug. 11, 2023, said as much before his death in an interview with The Denver Post: “No matter what happens to me in the next six months, my photos are there at History Colorado,”he said in May. “Whatever we can do to stave off the impacts of climate warming, maybe my photos can be part of that.”

The exhibition is included with admission to the museum at 1200 S. Broadway in Denver. $15 for adults, free for kids. Open every day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 303-447-8679 or visit . — John Wenzel

Dazzle jazz club's Friday, Feb. 2, concert from Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors offers historical jazz and blues from the Five Points neighborhood. (Provided by Dazzle)
Dazzle jazz club's Friday, Feb. 2, concert from Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors offers historical jazz and blues from the Five Points neighborhood. (Provided by Dazzle)

Exploring Black History Month

Through Feb. 29.In addition to History Colorado’s excellent, ongoingԲپDz, which explores the stories of Colorado’s Black diaspora outside the context of slavery (seefor the schedule), the metro area is hopping with events celebrating February as Black History Month.

Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors, who havededicated themselves to preserving and playing the jazz and blues music of Denver’s historically BlackFive Pointsneighborhood, will playDazzle’s Lunch Bunch starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, so swing by if you’re near the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1080 14th St. Tickets: $10 for table seating, via .

Related: Five Points’Jazz Rootsseries, with events on Feb. 17 and 24, featuring an all-ages format with dancing, poetry, and visual art. Seefor the lineup. Also check out the self-guided tour ofDenver’s public art piecescreated by Black artists (denverpublicart.org/tours) and the freeBlack History Livetour events (Feb. 9, 10 and 12 in Denver and Greeley), with a first-person dramatization ofRosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., followed by a Q&A about their lives.— John Wenzel

Bugging Out

Monday-Feb. 11. How’s your tolerance for eating bugs? If itap high, then you’re in for a crunchy treat starting on Monday, Feb. 5, when Chef Jose Avila, the owner of , 2233 Larimer St. in Denver, brings back his second annual Festival de Bichos.

The restaurantap special menu, which runs through Feb. 11, includes a wide variety of dishes made with edible insects – all of which are commonly eaten in Mexico and some other countries. A $75 sampler platter includes tortillas with flying ant larvae (escamoles) and yellow mole; pork with flying-ant (chicatanas) sauce; a grasshopper tostada with stinkbug salsa; chocolate-covered scorpions; and much, much more. (Individual items are $15 each.) “This event is open to all, no reservations required,” according to a press release. –– Jonathan Shikes

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