Sunlight is a natural resource we’ll run out of one day. Plan to make use of it this month. It’s May after all. Think of each unit of time as all in a day’s play. In fact, you’re as welcome as the flowers in May. Shakespeare called it “the merry month of May.” Fennel Hudson put it this way: “May, more than any other month, wants us to feel alive.”
As the Book of Songs suggests: “Sweet May hath come to love us, flowers, trees, their blossoms don; and through the blue heavens above us, the very clouds move on.”
Here are our warm and sunny choices for shopping, dining and entertainment so your garden grows and you can breeze through each day like it’s a picnic in the park:
3 Race to the Bar Car on Colorado Blvd. for the annual fundraiser Talk Derby to Me party on May 5, noon to 7 p.m. Sway to the music of live bands, city’s top hat contest, plus fun games. Information: 720-524-8099.
3 Cinco De Mayo fest in Civic Center Park keeps the fun going May 5-6. See Saturday parade plus low rider car show. Information 303-534-8342.
3 Keep May fun with free lessons at the Wash Park Lawn Bowling Club May 12, 10 a.m. Information: washingtonparklawnbowlingclub.com.
3 Hear St. Martin’s Chamber Choir sing Howell’s Requiem at Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral May 18, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-298-1970.
3 Make your home tidy and trim with upholstery, drapery, cushions and pillows from Boris’s Upholstery. Enjoy great discounts on home décor fabrics in extensive selection of styles. Information: 303-751-2921.
3 Show mom she’s cherished with Mother’s Day specials May 13 at the Monaco Inn Restaurant. Information: 303-320-1104. Or take her to brunch at Salvage Restaurant, 10 a.m-2 p.m. Information: 303-751-2113.
3 Take the kids to the Children’s Book Fest for activities and reading at the Tattered Cover on Colfax, May 19, 1-3 p.m. Information: 303-322-7727.
3 Hurry, French artist Edgar Degas’ A Passion For Perfection is on display at the Denver Art Museum through May 20. Information: 303-892-1505
3 Don’t miss this year’s Denver Ukefest presented by Swallow Hill Music. Weekend kicks off May 10 at Brews on Broadway. On May 11, festival moves to Swallow Hill highlighted by uke supernova Taimane and two-time Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. Saturday May 12 has a full day of workshops and community events. Evening concert features Craig Chee, Sarah Maisel and Gerald Ross. Information: 303-777-1003.
May’s calling and it’s not on your phone, it’s outside. Get out of the house early to dig in your garden, explore the parks, eat locally and stargaze the night away. There are soulful bistros, hidden wine bars and wonderful patisseries to find. Discover the thrill of professional rugby. Squeeze in a little golf or spa time to take away winter’s stress.
Plan a picnic in the park with the kids. At weekend gatherings, weeknight dinners and on restaurant patios we gather to eat, drink, socialize and bask in beautiful views.
“April is the cruelest month,” T.S. Eliot famously wrote. But then for Camelot Lerner and Loewe declared May is here: “It’s mad, it’s gay, a libelous display. Everyone makes divine mistakes, the lusty month of May. Whence this fragrance wafting through the air, tra, la la la la.” To whence I ask: Why I’m only wishing to go a-fishing?
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.