Saturday-Sunday. If you watched any recent seasons of “Love Island,” or this year’s wildly popular “The Traitors,” you know that the hot Southerner known as Rob Rausch is a snake lover and expert. That may well drive new interest in reptiles and exotic animals, particularly as Repticon returns to Aurora, Saturday, March 21-Sunday, March 22. (Rausch won’t be there, unfortunately.)

The family-friendly show features a mixture of vendors and breeders with an array of animals “not normally seen in local pet stores,” (think snakes, lizards, turtles, spiders, scorpions and more). The show runs 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave. in Aurora. Tickets range in price by day, or are $15 for adults and $6 for kids (ages 5-12) for the whole weekend, with ages 4 and under. Visit for more details. — John Wenzel

Sunday shimmy

Sunday. Prepare to be tantalized and titillated at A Cause for Applause, a burlesque show coming to Lot 46 Music Bar in Edgewater on Sunday, March 22. The event acts as both a fundraiser and a preview for this summer’s Colorado Burlesque Festival, which takes place July 16-18. Performers include Cherry Pop Pop Poppins, Kitty Crimson, Betty Bootknocker and more. Expect sultry routines, sparkly costumes and sips for those 21-plus.

A Cause for Applause comes to Lot 46 Music Bar, 5302 W. 25th Ave. in Edgewater, 6-8:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $25.03 to $48.08 at . — Tiney Ricciardi

Even bigger dinosaurs

Opens Friday. Part of the attraction to dinosaurs is their towering stature, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science is doubling down on that with its newest exhibit, “The World’s Largest Dinosaurs,” running Friday, March 20-Sept. 7.

“Presented in the Phipps Gallery on the Museum’s third floor, the family-friendly exhibition takes visitors inside the colossal bodies of sauropod — the long-necked, long-tailed, plant-eating dinosaurs that ranged from 15 to 150 feet long and weighed an average of 12 tons,” organizers wrote. Check out interactive, kid-friendly features and watch a sauropod’s beating heart projected onto a 60-foot model.

The exhibition requires an extra ticket, $7-$9, in addition to museum general admission ($26 for adults, $21 for kids). 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily at 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver. Call 303-370-6000 or visit for more details. — John Wenzel

“Bad,” and very funny, Indians

Saturday. Taking the stuffing out of racist stereotypes is one of stand-up’s most excellent features, and so it is with “Bad Indian: A Native American Comedy Showcase.” Created and hosted by Joshua Emerson, a Denver-based Diné (Navajo) comedian, writer, and producer, “Bad Indian” is “an Indigenous comedy showcase dedicated to uplifting Native talent and expanding mainstream recognition of Native humor and storytelling.”

Shows at 7 and 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St. in Denver. Tickets: $9.85 at . Visit for more details. — John Wenzel

The , which opened in 1982 and is one of the top three most popular exhibits there, will close on Wednesday, April 15, so the museum can begin the process of renovating and expanding it.

“Beginning this year, this transformative project will expand the hall by 50% and reimagine it as the Dea Family Gems & Minerals Hall — an immersive, multi-sensory journey inspired by the big idea that ‘My World is Made of Minerals,'” according to a DMNS statement. “Visitors will explore minerals in their natural forms, venture into underground environments and discover the essential role minerals play in our everyday lives.”

Currently sponsored by Coors, the exhibit is being renamed The Dea Family Gems & Minerals Hall following a “transformative” donation by longtime museum supporters Peter and Cathy Dea, the museum said.

The project will change the existing format but preserve some of the exhibition’s most popular features, having gathered more than 8,800 survey responses, 650 interviews, and 24 hours of workshops with community members, officials said.

“We respect the nostalgia people may have, and are honoring that by repurposing a couple of the most popular elements of the old hall into the new design,” project lead Luke Fernandez told The Denver Post last year. “Those are the Sweet Home Mine, which shows off the red rhodochrosite crystals mined in Colorado, and the Crystal Grotto, which resembles the inside of a natural cave.”

The $30 million renovation is expected to last about 18 months and have the exhibit ready to reopen by 2027. The 50% expansion will be accommodated by newly freed-up space on the City Park institution’s first floor.

The design phase of the project started in 2023 but was accelerated by the Dea’s gift. A fundraising campaign to make up the remaining 22% of its $30 million price tag (or about $6.6 million) is ongoing.

Through Jan. 25. The return of the National Western Stock Show also marks the return of RiNo bar Number Thirty Eight’s Bison Days series. The sixth annual run of concerts boasts another lineup of barnburners to raise money for Make-A-Wish Colorado, including nationally touring country singers Josh Gracin (Friday, Jan. 16), Adda Boyd (Wednesday, Jan. 21) and Eric Paslay (Friday, Jan. 23). The venue is also hosting a rodeo afterparty on Saturday, Jan. 17.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and shows begin at 7. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, 3560 Chestnut Place in Denver. Chef’s Table dining experiences with meats from Centennial Cuts and whisky pairings from Pendleton Whisky are available before each concert for $100 per person. Visit for tickets and more information.

Dive into “Mixed Messages”

Friday-Saturday. Immersive entertainment may not be the buzz-phrase it once was, but that’s a good thing. Denver’s pioneering scene can focus on its designs instead of chasing corporate funhouses and touring exhibits about dead painters. Case in point: “Mixed Messages,” an immersive video, sketch and theater show from production group and indie-pop duo The Impliers that begins the moment audience members walk into the Highland’s historic Bug Theater.

They’ll be “immediately pulled into a mind-bendingly surreal streaming service, The Impliers TV, where a hidden, unseen hand flips through rapid-fire sketches, music videos and offbeat commercials,” producers wrote. “Characters then cross the line from screen to stage, echoing stories of modern love and miscommunication, before a final twist reveals who is truly watching … .”

The cast includes award-winners from the Denver Fringe Fest, national radio voices, and MTV and Adult Swim veterans. Shows at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, and Saturday, Jan. 17, at 3654 Navajo St. in Denver. Tickets are $25 via .

Music for protest

Sunday. Colorado musicians have a habit of supporting nonprofit and justice-minded creative causes, and that extends to our current moment of political turmoil. Using music to confront and protest social issues has long been a goal of the hip-hop collective Flobots (they of 2007’s platinum single “Handlebars”), so it makes sense that Flobots emcee and educator Jamie “Jonny 5” Laurie and his brother Paul Laurie (founder of the Invisible City venue and public programmer for Cookie Factory’s art gallery) joined forces to present “No Enemies: Call and Response.”

The free, all-ages workshop, taking place 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18, at Cookie Factory, is geared toward “coming together for a timely public event centered on music, community, and creative resistance,” producers wrote. Bring an open mind — and ears. 425 W. Fourth Ave. in Denver. RSVP at .

Big (really big) movies

Through Jan. 25. You don’t have to visit a chain movie theater to get your IMAX fix: Denver Museum of Nature & Science is currently running a quartet of short-ish titles that are absolutely worth seeing on its giant Infinity Theater screen, which was updated and relaunched in 2023. The cutest is “Sea Otters: A Wild Family Adventure,” which “takes you on a captivating coming-of-age adventure of a growing sea otter,” but there ares also a pair of 3D features in “T.Rex 3D” and “Animals Kingdom 3D,” along with the 2D “Ocean Paradise.”

Tickets, $7-$10, do not include general admission to the museum at 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver, which is required unless it’s the final showing of the day. GA tickets are $21-$26, and they’re worth it for exploring the museum before or after the screenings. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, and until 9 p.m. on most Fridays. Call 303-370-6000 or visit for more. ]]> 7389164 2026-01-15T06:00:58+00:00 2026-01-15T07:05:12+00:00 /2025/07/09/denver-dinosaur-fossil-museum-nature-science/ Wed, 09 Jul 2025 18:49:01 +0000 /?p=7212979 A new dinosaur fossil at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science was found buried hundreds of feet under the facility’s parking lot in January, making the herbivorous animal’s remains the oldest and deepest dinosaur fossil ever discovered in the city.

Museum crews came across the partial-bone fossil while conducting a geothermal drilling test to look at switching from natural gas to geothermal energy,

A research team was working on a simultaneous project to better understand the Denver Basin’s geology by drilling into the bedrock when they found a partial-bone fossil belonging to a 67.5 million-year-old dinosaur among the rocks taken from 763 feet below the surface.

“This is a scientifically and historically thrilling find for both the museum and the larger Denver community,” Curator of Geology James Hagadorn said in a statement. “This fossil comes from an era just before the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, and it offers a rare window into the ecosystem that once existed right beneath modern-day Denver.”

Museum officials identified the fossils as the vertebrae of a plant-eating dinosaur similar to the , a 10- to 12-foot, two-legged animal that lived during the Cretaceous period, when Denver’s landscape consisted of tropical swamps, forests and floodplains.

The fossil is also similar to the herbivore , a larger four-legged dinosaur that roamed the region alongside fierce predators like the Tyrannosaurus rex.

“In my 35 years at the museum, we’ve never had an opportunity quite like this — to study the deep geologic layers beneath our feet with such precision. That this fossil turned up here, in City Park, is nothing short of magical,” research associate Bob Raynolds said in a statement.

Other dinosaur fossils found in metro Denver have been discovered through construction projects, including the partial skeleton of a triceratops in Highlands Ranch in 2019 and bone fragments found during the construction of Coors Field in 1994, inspiring the Colorado Rockies’ purple dino mascot, Dinger.

The fossil is now on display as part of the museum’s “Discovering Teen Rex” exhibit, which shows scientists working to prepare a juvenile T. rex fossil for public display after it was discovered by three boys in North Dakota.

Miller moths, infamous in Denver for their large numbers and ability to find their way into homes, are critical for Colorado’s environment, lepidopterist and entomologist Shiran Hershcovich said.

As they travel from one plant to the next, transferring pollen while following the blooms across the state, moths help sustain Colorado’s environment, Hershcovich said.

“As they come into our spaces, just approach them with curiosity and respect,” she said. “They’re not coming into our living rooms, we’ve built our home in theirs.”

When is miller moth season in Colorado?

Miller moths typically swarm across Colorado from mid-May to mid-June, Hershcovich said.

Moths metamorphose from army cutworm caterpillars on the Great Plains in March and take off for western Colorado’s mountains in late spring, making pit stops on the Front Range during their journey, according to the .

The moths come in waves as they emerge from their cocoons, said Genevieve Anderegg, assistant collections manager of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

They travel west across the state for the cooler weather and to feed on the vast pollen and nectar that Colorado’s diverse environments offer, Anderegg said. They do the same thing on the other side of the mountain, but the population is smaller and less noticeable, she said.

The number of miller moths can vary dramatically each year and is largely unpredictable, Hershcovich said.

“Even though they visit our backyards each year, we know next to nothing about them,” Hershcovich said. “They’re so essential to life as we know it, but they’ve only recently begun to gain visibility in terms of research.”

The climate and the number of flowers in bloom have the biggest impact on the moth population.

How long do miller moths live?

Miller moths live about a year — just long enough to emerge from their cocoons on the Great Plains, migrate west to Colorado’s mountains and return to the grasslands in the fall to lay their eggs, Anderegg said. That is, if they don’t die during the migration.

The moths get confused by urban lights and often end up finding their way into Colorado homes, Hershcovich said, adding that miller moths use light from celestial objects like stars and the moon to orient themselves.

Once the moths start to appear in Denver, depending on the year and weather conditions, the peak will last from two to four weeks, Hershcovich said.

How can people control the number of miller moths in their home?

To prevent miller moths from making a home inside human spaces, Coloradans should seal any obvious openings, especially around windows and doors; reduce the number of lights in and around the home; or substitute yellow lights, according to the CSU Extension.

Miller moths may concentrate around buildings with more plants and increased humidity, the CSU Extension’s article stated. This effect is seen particularly during drought years when there are fewer flowering plants at lower elevations.

If they do make it inside, residents should carry them outside in a cup or their hands, Hershcovich said.

What happens if your pet eats a moth (or several dozen)?

“Miller moths are not dangerous in any way to us, our pets or our kids,” Hershcovich said. “They’re not venomous or poisonous.”

Many animals in Colorado — including birds, lizards and bears — rely on the moth population for food and as a key source of protein, she said.

“Your cat could eat cupfuls of moths and still be safe,” she said. “Honestly, the moths have the short end of the stick on this one.”

One of the newest events on the timeline: a $30 million, 18-month renovation and expansion project that begins next year. The project will add 50% more space for the permanent exhibition and fundamentally rethink how visitors, especially kids, interact with the hall’s thousands of sapphires, quartz, rubies, emeralds, garnets and diamonds.

Still, change can be hard, especially at a museum. “One of the things we heard when we spoke to the community was, ‘You need to keep this or that exhibit, because it’s where I had my first kiss or my first date,'” said museum project lead Luke Fernandez.

“We respect the nostalgia people may have, and are honoring that by repurposing a couple of the most popular elements of the old hall into the new design,” he added. Those are the Sweet Home Mine, which shows off the red rhodochrosite crystals mined in Colorado, and the Crystal Grotto, which resembles the inside of a natural cave.”

The new parts of the exhibit will focus on immersive features such as an interactive state map of mineral deposits; a Mineral Mart mock convenience store that teaches about the daily role of minerals in our lives; a Color Room with more than 250 fluorescing minerals that “transform under changing ultraviolet light conditions”; a Gem Journey that traces the raw-mineral-to-finished-gemstone path (featuring the museum’s largest faceted mineral, the Dali Topaz, a 10,588-carat gemstone); never-before-displayed specimens; and the world-renowned Hero Specimens, such as Diane’s Pocket, and .

“When we think about museum-goers and guests from the 1980s, they really would just go to see things — that type of absorption of information. But (today’s) museum guests really want to get more engaged and have more hands-on learning,” said Jeff Joplin, the museum’s vice president of operations. “We want them to be able to learn about what’s happening beneath our feet every day, because the average American uses about 20,000 pounds of minerals per year.”

Only one other permanent exhibit at the museum, the life-sized wildlife dioramas, predates the 1982 launch of the gems and minerals section, which makes sense because of Colorado’s mining history. Currently sponsored by Coors, the exhibit will be renamed The Dea Family Gems & Minerals Hall , following a “transformative” donation by longtime museum supporters Peter and Cathy Dea, the museum said.

Fernandez declined to name the donation amount, but said Peter’s career as a geologist, and his , give him and Cathy a strong connection to the new exhibit — even if they don’t have a direct say in its design and specimen selection.

“As a geologist, I naturally gravitate to the gems and minerals displays, and we are excited for this new experience to spark guests’ curiosity and imagination and inspire children’s enjoyment of science,” Peter Dea said in a press statement.

The 50% expansion will be accommodated by newly freed-up space on the City Park institution’s first floor, Joplin said. The design phase of the project started in 2023 but was accelerated by the Dea’s gift. A fundraising campaign to make up the remaining 22% of its $30 million price tag (or about $6.6 million) is ongoing, he added.

The current gallery will close for renovation at the beginning of 2026 and will remain off-limits to visitors for about a year and a half. Some of that time will be used to clean and reorganize the specimens, which aren’t always as sturdy as they may seem, Fernandez said.

“I know they’re old and I know they’re rocks, but you’d be surprised at how brittle they can be,” he said. “We have a very pointy, sea-urchin type specimen that’s brilliant with thousands of these crystals coming off of it. It’s extremely delicate and over time can degrade.”

How much time? Fortunately, far longer than the museum needs to renovate its exhibit — give or take a few million years.

Friday-Sept. 7. The fascinating — some might say terrifying — creatures of the ancient oceans are coming to Denver Museum of Nature & Science starting this weekend. “Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep” dives into the fantastic aquatic animals that once roamed Earth’s largest habitat, from the “mighty Jurassic plesiosaur to the colossal megalodon that lived millions of years later,” curators wrote. Think fossil specimens, fully articulated 3D models and life-size casts, hands-on kids activities, and more that tell the story of how they evolved and hunted in their natural habitats.

The temporary exhibition opens Friday, March 21, and runs through Sept. 7. A special ticket ($7-$9) is required on top of regular museum admission — $26 for adults and $21 for youth ages 3-18. It’s open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver. Call 303-370-6000 or visit for more.

R.I.P. David Lynch, cinematic genius

Through April 4. The late David Lynch’s reputation as one of cinema’s greatest voices is baked into surreal masterpieces such as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive,” which deserve to be seen in their full, big-screen glory. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s March retrospective, “In Dreams: Films of David Lynch,” gives you a chance with Lynch screenings through early April, including “Lost Highway” (beginning March 21), “Mulholland Drive” (March 29), “The Elephant Man” (April 2) and Lynch’s seminal, 1984 version of “Dune” (April 4).

Films are Rated R and playing at Drafthouse locations in Littleton, Sloans Lake and Westminster. Directions and tickets, $13-$14, at .

“How Did This Get Made,” anyway?

Thursday. As one of the podcasting world’s greatest and earliest successes — they’re currently on their 365th episode with “The Wraith” — “How Did This Get Made” is still going strong with its hilarious take on terrible movies that, well, shouldn’t have been green-lit in the first place. Hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas are bringing a live taping of the show to the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, March 27.

Well, two of them anyway — guest Jessica St. Claire will fill in for co-host Raphael in Denver, promoters said. 7 p.m. at 1621 Glenarm Place in Denver. Tickets: $66.25-$88.60 via . Visit for more.

Comix at The Core

Through March 23. If you haven’t yet seen the Comix at the Core collaboration in Lakewood’s 40 West Arts District, you’ve still got a couple of days. The program mixes Core Art Space’s current comics-focused exhibition with graphic-novel purveyor Danny the Comic Shop for a pop-up at The Core, and Core artists Chuck McCoy and Wayland Chu showing their work at the comics shop.

It’s a modest but playful match-up — and a great excuse to dive into the world of acclaimed comics, visual art and the district’s gallery offerings. Through Sunday, March 23, at 6501 W. Colfax Ave. (Core) and 1580 Teller St. (Danny the Comic Shop) in Lakewood. A free comic available at the Core exhibit includes a coupon people can use at the comic shop. Visit or for more.

Through March 2. One of Colorado’s most playful art outings is showing right now at NEXT Gallery in Lakewood’s 40 West Arts District, which is hosting its 8th Casa Bonita Art Show. This time around, the gallery asked artists to imagine what the iconic 50-year-old restaurant might look like in another 50. “The year is 2074,” NEXT explained. “What is the status of Casa Bonita? Still pink? Still beloved? Still iconic? Still standing?”

Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, at 6501 W. Colfax Ave., inside the 40 West Arts Hub. There are free kids activities Feb. 21-22, and an awards show will take place on Feb. 28. Admission is free. Visit or for more. — John Wenzel

Party your pants off

Saturday. Strip down and lace up for a good cause this weekend as Cupid’s Undie Run comes to Denver. The event, which first hit the pavement in the Mile High City in 2013, raises funds for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. It also aims to raise awareness about neurofibromatosis (NF), a group of genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body.

Participants are encouraged to wear pantless costumes for a party at Stoney’s Bar & Grill, 1111 Lincoln St., which includes a “brief” run at 2 p.m.; festivities are noon to 4 p.m. Registration is $45 at . — Tiney Ricciardi

“Lost” Cambodian treasures at DMNS

Opens Friday. More than 100 intricate carvings, sacred sculptures and ancient relics — many of them on display outside of Cambodia for the first time — will grace a new exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science starting this weekend.

“Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia” includes Khmer artifacts such as sculptures, tools and religious items “that provide insight into the empire’s history and spirituality,” along with hands-on and interactive experiences for adults and kids, the museum wrote.

Included with museum admission: $26 for adults, $21 for kids, and $23 for seniors. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 2001 Colorado Blvd. Call 303-370-6000 or visit for more. — John Wenzel

Arvada Winterfest

Saturday. This weekend’s warmer temps mean a slightly less wintry Arvada Winterfest, but that won’t stop anyone from enjoying free live cultural performances from the Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center and Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce (think dancing, drums and more).

Kids and adults can also enjoy free storytelling at the Arvada Library and live ice sculpting, as well as a beer garden, food trucks, craft vendors and more items for purchase. The fest runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, in Olde Town Square, 5726 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. in Arvada. Parking is limited, so attendees are encouraged to park in the Olde Town Parking Hub or use alternate modes of transportation. For more information, visit or oldetownarvada.org/events. — John Wenzel

But these moments to remember have one thing in common: they developed out of bold and brave beliefs in the city’s potential to be a vibrant, engaging, energetic, accessible — and very human — place for culture.

A million “free kids” at DAM

In 2015, the Denver Art Museum opened its doors free to visitors 18 and under, meaning they don’t have to pay a penny to see a Picasso, not a dollar to spend the afternoon with a Degas. The move eased the financial burden for parents trying to expose their children to the best culture the city has to offer and made possible scores of school field trips.

The program has been a whopping success and a national model on how to make the arts available to more people, and this year, it reached a milestone — the millionth free, young visitor entered the museum.

Kids do still pay for special exhibits, (like the current “Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak”) though the price is reduced. It����ap all made possible by the sponsorship of Bellco Credit Union.

A bridge to mark the moment

Every generation owes something to the ones that come after it, and that payment is often made through the construction of parks and monuments that are meant to last the ages. Denver’s Civic Center, built a century ago, was such a gift and it has done its job (for the most part) with grace and beauty. It is where we gather, by the tens of thousands, to celebrate who we are as diverse and vibrant Coloradans.

A new plan, announced by Gov. Jared Polis last month, to build a pedestrian bridge from the Colorado State Capitol to the open, green spaces surrounding Civic Center is our generation’s chance to do our part.

The bridge — if it is done thoughtfully and with sufficient funding — could be both a practical way to get people across busy Lincoln Street and something of a work of art that marks our present, prosperous moment as a state. There’s already a world-class architect on board (Studio Gang, which designed the new Populous hotel), adding even more potential to an already promising idea.

A museum moves outdoors

The outdoor experience “Nature Play” is an $8 million gift from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to the people who have supported it for the last century. And — thanks to co-sponsorship from Denver Parks and Recreation — it will likely be there for generations to come.

Everything is right about the new outdoor environment, which invites families to walk, climb and otherwise explore a series of science-minded objects set along a trail leading from the museum into surrounding City Park. The attraction is relaxed and playful, but educational. It����ap a wonder of well-designed landscape architecture (Denver’s own Dig Studio led the planning) and it’s full of great art, everything from the animal-inspired interactive sculptures to the hand-hewn wooden benches made by the Loveland artist who goes by the name Chainsaw Mama.

Best of all, it is free; there’s no revenue in it for DMNS or the city, just an opportunity to serve.

This region is generous to its cultural institutions — they get millions of free dollars themselves through the taxes collected by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District — but attractions like “Nature Play” prove that this system, and the stability it creates for a crucial institution like the DMNS, can pay off for everyone.

Puppet play

Could a puppet show, performed at a restaurant, that only lasts 15 minutes, with a meager budget, rudimentary staging, bad acting, stupid jokes, gross props and kind of a bad attitude about Denver and the restaurant itself, actually have been the best work of art I saw in 2023?

Nah, the puppet show that comes free with the dinner at Casa Bonita was not as good as some of the opera performances I attended or the great art exhibitions I wandered through. But it is the thing that keeps me laughing, and it was one of the most daring — if only because it is so relentlessly self-deprecating.

Casa Bonita keeps the plot and the characters a secret the best it can, so I’m not gonna reveal much here. I’ll just say that it is a product inspired by the genius talents, and knowing attitudes, that made the restaurant����ap owners — Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of the animated TV series “South Park” — global superstars. Only this bit of low-ball theater is written and staged just for Denver, and the locals here who will get its hilarious in-jokes about the restaurant itself, which has been a local landmark for decades now. The puppet show is so broke, and so good.

Goodbye, and thanks

When it comes to the arts, some years are remembered for the new things that arrived — new actors or singers, new painters or dancers. But this year, Denver will remember several people who left. There were three major resignations from folks at the top of their organizations: Greg Carpenter from Opera Colorado, Nora Burnett Abrams from the MCA Denver and Deborah Jordy from the SCFD. It����ap impossible, as they say, to overstate the impact his trio had on their respective fields of art-making and administration; they made art better here.

No job is easy in the arts and all three will leave behind a legacy of successes realized and dreams deferred for Denver.

Carpenter somehow kept the company going financially through the leanest years in the industry, yet those challenges were always a barrier to wider recognition for the organization. Abrams raised the curatorial level of the MCA to world-class heights, but a museum only has so much wall space, and presenting global stars meant there was never enough left over to give Colorado artists the exposure they deserved. Jordy, in several positions over the years, helped develop a professional class of civic-minded arts leaders worthy of the big city we are — she is everyone’s hero — though Denver still struggles to become a widely recognized cultural destination.

No doubt, all three leaders laid the groundwork for better things to come, hard-working, hyper-talented folks who gave their all and are ready for the next challenge. Good luck to the boards of directors whose job it is to replace them.

An exhibit larger than the art on the walls

In some ways, Derrick Velasquez’s current solo show at Robischon Gallery is just another exhibit — one of the city’s most talented artists unveiling recent work at one of the city’s most respected commercial spaces. But it is also Velasquez’s first outing at the gallery since July 2023, , who suffered from a debilitating disease and was on the edge of her demise.  The transplant saved Doran’s life

That made the show — which continues through Jan. 18 — something more. It serves as a symbol of how people can rise to the occasion and help others, even when that act requires so much of their physical and emotional selves. It also reminded everyone that the visual arts world — so often focused on sales, celebrity, wealth and the next big commodity to come along — is actually a community of people, and some of those people are valiant.

For Doran and Velasquez, the transplant was a personal and private event, but they told their story to the public, hoping to inspire others to donate organs, an act that has become increasingly easy to do over the past few years. So, see the exhibit (it����ap a revelation on its own) but also think about the possibilities. Get more info from the American Liver Foundation, .

There are 17 museums on the list this year, all inviting visitors to enter at no cost. But the event only goes from 5 to 10 p.m., which means you’ve got to be agile to make the most of the opportunity.

Related: Mixing the past and present (and art and artifacts) to tell the story of Colorado

Of course, there are other cultural events to take advantage of during .

The event����ap website touts First Friday Art Walks, bringing special attention to the neighborhood-wide gallery openings. Art fans can do their strutting in a familiar setting, like Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe, or try something new — perhaps heading over to the Westwood Creative District in East Denver or trekking a little farther afield to the galleries in Olde Town Arvada.

The “week” also highlights events across disciplines set to take place in the near future, from theater to dance to comedy to opera, and even to a very promising tribute show to both Shania Twain and Taylor Swift happening on Nov. 1 at the Grizzly Rose nightclub.

There is also a long list of deals — discounts, two-for-ones, ticket lotteries — available on the website.

Still, the largest crowds likely will turn out for Free Night at the Museums, the biggest deal of them all. And decisions will have to be made on how to see as much as possible, but not so much that your head spins.

Since there are five hours of fun on the table during these Saturday events, here are five good ideas to consider when parsing out your valuable time.

At the Museo de las Americas, check out a kid-friendly favorite

It����ap always a good idea to catch the fare at Denver’s Museo de las Americas, but it is even better when you can get into the small museum — located among the many galleries along Santa Fe Drive — without paying. Right now, the special exhibition is “Migrants: A Tale of Two Hearts,” which uses art to capture both the physical and spiritual experiences surrounding migration between Latin America and the United States. But make sure to check out the Museo’s most unusual attraction, the massive and historically accurate model of the ancient Temple at Uxmal that occupies a room toward the back. The model is a wonder, recreating in detail the pre-colonial landmark that stood strong in what is now called Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

861 Santa Fe Drive. Info: 303-571-4401 or .

At the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a live-animal adventure

DMNS keeps the hits coming with its newest exhibition, “Animals of the Rainforest.” What makes this one different is the appearance of actual, live animals that visitors can see up close, including snakes, reptiles and one extremely slow-moving sloth. The museum has two other special exhibits going now, including the creepy “Power of Poison” and “Discovering Teen Rex,” about a recent dinosaur find in Colorado. But “Rainforest” is the real star here. Who can resist a Saturday night spent with a boa constrictor or a python or an iguana? Be very careful, I say.

2001 Colorado Blvd. Info: 303-370-6000 or .

At the History Colorado Center, looking back at a ball

There are a couple of winners on the floors of the Colorado History Center, and the idea of seeing them without shelling out the $15 admission is appealing. The recently opened “De la Tierra” uses both art and artifacts to narrate a compelling history of the Upper Río Grande region. The night might also be a good excuse to revisit “Zoom In,” a clever show that uses 100 objects to trace Colorado’s history. But do not miss the fascinating, and hyper-local, “Owl Club of Denver: Legacies of Excellence,” which features nostalgic photos, borrowed from the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, of Denver’s longest-running, Black debutante ball.

1200 Broadway. Info: 303-447-8679 or historycolorado.org.

At the Denver Art Museum, sitting pretty

DAM has a slew of shows worthy of your free time on Saturday, Nov. 2. There is the traveling exhibit “Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas,” showcasing work by the late, Washington, D.C., painter who did not find fame until her 60s. There’s also the neat textile show, “Weaving a Foundation,” featuring some of the museum’s best textiles. But the best kid-friendly option has to be “Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today.” The exhibit, which closes on Jan. 12, takes its title seriously: visitors are encouraged to actually try out the wares of 22 top designers.

100 14th Ave. Info: 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum.org.

At Denver Botanic Gardens, just the art, please

Most folks go to the DBG to see the fabulous flora, but on Saturday evening, Nov. 2, the focus is all on art and architecture. The trees and plants will be closed for business, but the Freyer–Newman Center for Science, Art & Education will keep its doors open to the public. That includes the center’s three art galleries, and each is packed with an excellent display. There’s “Geography of Hope,” featuring photos of Utah’s resurgent Glen Canyon by Elliot Ross, and there is artist Patrick Marold’s gleaming, and curious, installation, “Shadow and Light.” If young people are in your gallery-going party, they will love “River’s Voice,” which invites everyone to take their shoes off and get touchy with textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou’s sumptuous rugs recreating landscapes of her native Argentina.

1007 York St. Info: 720-865-3500 or botanicgardens.org.

Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver-based freelancer specializing in fine arts.