Back by popular demand — some of the free things to do to celebrate Independence Day, 2010! As usual, we won’t even scratch the surface of the hundreds of free celebrations going on around the state, but here’s a sampling for your independent spirits to enjoy. All events are on July 4 unless stated otherwise.

Avon – SALUTE TO THE USA FIREWORKS CELEBRATION
07/03/2010 – 5:00 p.m.
Harry A. Nottingham Park
Music, food vendors, and a beer garden. A FREE Family Zone will offer carnival games, inflatable jumping toys, face painting, clowns and a special children’s instrument petting zoo. The Family Zone opens at 5:30 p.m. and continue until the fireworks begin at 9:45 p.m.  970-748-4060

Boulder - READING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
07/03/2010 – 6:30 p.m.
University of Colorado, Boulder on the Green in front of the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival invites the public to a free reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Denver - CHEESMAN PARK INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
PARADE begins at 10:00 a.m.
East side of Cheesman Park at The Pavilion (East 9th and High Street)
Enjoy the balloon artist, the caricature artist, a marching band and more.  Children are to be accompanied by adults and should arrive by 9:00 AM to decorate their bikes or wagons. Also, enjoy face painting, a meet and greet with Denver policemen on horseback and with Denver firemen. For more information call Council Woman Jeanne Robb at (303 377-1807).

Estes Park
Pancake breakfast, car show, horse show and fireworks.

Frisco - FRISCO’S FANTASTIC FOURTH OF JULY

Start the day with the Kids Fishing Derby, cheer on the Main Street parade, watch a concert in the park or at the marina, and

end with the grand finale, the Fabulous Fireworks over Frisco Bay Marina on Dillon Reservoir.

800-424-1554

La Veta – 35TH ANNUAL ART IN THE PARK
7/3 – 7/4/2010
La Veta Town Park
Original handcrafted fine art, crafts, jewelry, apparel, paintings, ceramics, glass, wood, more. Rodeo, parade, barbecue and live music.  719-742-3074

You’re never too old to enjoy a visit to the zoo!  And you can prove it on your next birthday with free admission on your special day, a free souvenir button (woohoo!), a free Jr. ice cream cone (yum!), a free spin on our Conservation Carousel (whee!), and, if you can make that someone special you’ve brought along feel guilty about not spending any money on you yet for your birthday, there’s even a 10% discount on a purchase at the zoo gift shop.  Yes!!

You’ll need to plan ahead just a little bit to enjoy your free celebration with the critters, but it’s simple.  Just go to the Birthday page on the Denver Zoo’s site and register your birthday information (and don’t forget to register everyone else in your household — they love the zoo too, don’t they?).  Print out the ticket/confirmation message, bring along your photo ID, and it’s time to celebrate another year.

Feeling down about your newly-acquired age?  Consider this:  the oldest documented tortoise lived to be 188.  And there was a koi (you know – one of those carp you see in ponds in Japanese gardens) which lived to be 226.  I’m sure the Denver Zoo must have some tortoises and koi around for you to visit.

A reader and contributor to Colorado-for-Free just sent us a note saying he received a coupon for a free buffet for 1 month at Woody’s Wood-Fired Tavern because he signed up for their email club.  I see that they promise not to…

…sell your information to anyone by the name of “Crazy Doctor”, “Ductile F. Supplanted”, or any other crazy spammers.

That sounds fair.

I wonder if Woody’s is planning any locations over here on the Western Slope?  It appears that the Woody’s in Golden — which I fondly remember as a gathering spot after climbing — is owned by different people than the locations offering this particular deal, so I don’t think the coupon will work in Golden.

This is making me really hungry for pizza.  I’m heading to our local pizza place as soon as they open for lunch!

Tuesday evenings,
February 3 through March 3, 2009
Denver Central Library – 10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy
6 PM – 9 PM

I loved every movie I ever saw with Paul Newman.  OK, I admit it, I loved Paul Newman (those blue eyes!!!).  So, I’m in 7th heaven over this free film series at the downtown Library.

The Hustler, Sweet Bird of Youth, Hud, Cool Hand Luke (“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate”), and The Hudsucker Proxy make up the weekly schedule.  

It’s an interesting mixture of 4 flicks from the 1960s, plus one from The Coen brothers made in 1994 that has a very different tone.

But they’re all good, ’cause they’re Newman’s Own!

The complete schedule can be found here.

(I sure do miss him)

December 31, 2008
9:00 PM show and Midnight show
16th Street Mall

Good news for welcoming the New Year for both early birds and late owls!   You can enjoy a spectacular fireworks display downtown at 9:00 PM or wait until Midnight to enjoy another.  Or, if you’re really into fireworks, and have plenty of warm cloths, why not hang out for both shows!

The fireworks will be launched simultaneously from 2 locations along the 16th Street Mall, so you’re sure to have a good view no matter where you choose to watch from.

We wish everyone in Colorado and everyone who likes to read about Colorado a very healthy and happy new year.

I’m a cat person.  I adore cats.  Whenever I see a cat, I have to stop what I’m doing and find out if that cat is willing to be my friend.  (And usually they are willing.  They know.)

So when I learned that a collaborative effort is underway to let people in Metro Denver get a microchip for their cats to help them be reunited with their humans if they get lost, I was hooked.  Even if you keep your cat indoors, there’s always a chance kitty will get out when a visitor leaves a door open, or when she decides to make a mad dash for those exciting dry leaves blowing around in the yard.

You can learn all about the locations for obtaining a free microchip in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties by visiting the CHIP your cat website.   The program is a collaboration between the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society (DAVMS), Dumb Friends League and Metro Denver Shelter Alliance members, and is sponsored by HomeAgain and Bayer resQ. Collectively, these organizations will provide FREE microchips and lifetime registrations for 150,000 cats in Metro Denver.

So far, more than 65 veterinary clinics and six animal shelters are providing this free service.  Cat owners may receive a microchip identification implant by scheduling an appointment with a participating veterinary clinic.  Or, you may attend a microchipping event at a participating shelter that offers the service on a first come, first served basis.

You may also find the information useful in their online article, How do I get my Cat in the Carrier?  I couldn’t find an article on How do I keep my Cat from Shrieking and Upchucking while riding in the Car?, but perhaps I just didn’t search long enough.

June 6 – 7, 2008
Civic Center Park

The year:  1979. 
The place:  the grounds of East High School.  

I stroll among the numerous booths, admiring arts & crafts, picking up literature on every “cause” I can imagine (and many I hadn’t ever imagined), people-watching, laughing with my friends.  I’m at my first People’s Fair, and it’s entertaining, surprising, thought-provoking, and an all-around fun time.

Yep, this is truly a Denver “must-do” event that’s been around a long time and has grown far beyond its beginnings as a simple neighborhood festival.  Don’t get me wrong:  It is still community-oriented.  It benefits many non-profit organizations.  And it is huge.

How huge is it?  According to the Capitol Hill People’s Fair website:

“With over 250,000 fair-goers and numerous exhibitors, vendors, and volunteers, Civic Center becomes Colorado’s third largest city over the weekend.”

That’s huge.

So, if you’ve never been — head downtown for a wonderful weekend of arts & crafts, performances, food, and fun.  And if you’ve been to the People’s Fair before — maybe we’ll run into each other again this year.

Admission is free.

Now that spring is trying to be here, our thoughts turn to getting outdoors and enjoying the warm (?) weather!  What better way than on a bike!

Derailer Bicycle Collective is a communal, volunteer-run bike shop.  This isn’t your normal bike shop, however.  Here, you can borrow tools (for free) and obtain free parts (frames, pedals, handlebars, cranks, tires, tubes, patches, bottom brackets, derailleurs, brakes, reflectors, accessories, and most any other part imaginable…), work with a knowledgeable volunteer to learn how to fix your own bike, rent a bike for free, or build yourself a bike from the frame up with a little help and at no cost to you!

Why do they offer this?  The folks at Derailer believe that…

 ”…bicycles are the most affordable, sustainable, efficient, healthy, environmentally friendly, FUN, and liberating form of transportation and recreation.”

Do you agree & want to help this volunteer organization?  Here are a few things they could use:

• any bike tools
• metric box wrenches (esp. 10 & 15mm)
• crescent wrenches
• office supplies
• lighting equipment (bulbs, lamps, etc)
• rubber cement
• patches
• kerosene (or other degreasers/solvents)
• 20” tubes, tires and wheels
• tubes and tires, all sizes
• wheels, 24” or smaller
• alloy wheels, all sizes
• 700c wheels
• grease
• kids bikes
• floor pumps
• bike locks (keys or combos)
• helmets
• quality components
• bike stands
• portable storage (sheds, etc)
• grinder
• conduit bender
• oxyacetylene welder and/or T.I.G. welder
• Dremmel tool
• bi-lingual bicycle books, resources and volunteers!

So, as soon as this snow melts off the bike paths, let’s get out for a spin.

Derailer Bicycle Collective is located at 411 Lipan St. in Denver.
email:  derailerbicyclecollective@yahoo.com
(303) 893-0305