Saddle up: It’s time to put on those spurs and get back in the saddle again. The New Year means we’ve got to tighten the cinch and ride cautiously back into winter. Whether your steed is a vehicle or horse it’s best to accelerate and decelerate slowly or there will be hoof prints detouring off the road and into a mud rut or ditch.
Like a horse, your car or jacked-up truck needs to be fitted with proper winter shoes whether riding down the highway or hoofin’ it through the backcountry.
Here are our real cool winter choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to ward off the cold and let excitement seep in with the snow and winter wind:
3 Ride down to Boettcher Concert Hall for an once-in-a-lifetime treat, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone performed by the Colorado Symphony as you watch on a giant screen, Jan. 6-8. Information: 303-628-7876.
3 Stomp on down to Lowry’s John Hand Theater to see the comedy romp Becky’s New Car playing, Jan. 7-Feb. 4. Information: 303-562-3232.
3 Gallop over to the Colorado Convention Center and catch this year’s International Sportsman’s Expo, Jan. 12-15. Information: 800-454-6100.
3 Put on your marching boots and participate in the Martin Luther King Marade beginning at City Park Jan. 14, 9 a.m. Information: 720-971-1329.
3 For a tasty start to the New Year with giddy-up glamour hop back in the saddle and ride to the newly opened Que Bueno Suerte on South Pearl with cutting-edge Mexican-Spanish cuisine. Information: 720-642-7322.
3 Embrace the weather and make the New Year shine with floral décor and bouquets from Newberry Brothers. They make parties, corporate events and weddings bright all season long. Information: 303-322-0443.
3 Start your brainy preschoolers off right by learning about area preschools at Denver Preschool Showcase, Jan. 14-19. Information: 303-595-4377.
3 Warm up to winter at the Denver Brew Fest with beer, food and music at Mile High Station, Jan. 27-28, 7 p.m. Information: 888-810-2063.
3 Dust off your masks and your dancin’ shoes for a festive early Mardi Gras celebration at the Denver Botanic Garden’s Cajun Carnival, Feb. 3, 6 p.m. Revel in the lush warmth and beauty of Marnie’s Pavilion and the Orangery, while enjoying specialty dinners and drinks from Offshoots Café. It will seem like the Big Easy as the Fat City Mardi Gras Band and Queen City Jazz Quintet play. Information: 720-865-3501.
The Valley’s snow-packed and icy roads can often leave commuters frustrated. So take a deep breath and exhale before rollin’ on down the road. All of our winter neighborhood streets are transformed into blocks of snow, slush, ice and black ice. Keep in mind that only the main streets and striped streets will get city attention.
Longtime locals have learned over the years that while there is just as much horse sense as ever, it’s the horses that have most of it, not the driver in front of them.
Whoopi-ty-aye: If winter has you feeling down, saddle up and ride over to the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo, Jan. 7-22. Those are the cosmopolitan cowboys that have leaned the art of keeping a horse between them and the ground. On my hoss rockin’ to and fro in the snow I’m having a meltdown. Maybe I’ll start a slush fund.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.