In September we escorted/pushed kids back to school, while November and December bring major holidays and added stress. Thus October has become everyone’s favorite fall month. Halloween, crunchy leaves and football add to our enjoyment. Moreover this is the fall month that encourages us to relax and find our inner kid.
It’s finally time for cozy sweaters, carving smiles into a thousand pumpkins, beer festivals, soft pretzels, tasty bratwurst and outlandish Halloween parties.
Here are our eerie, spooky, hair-raising, spell-binding choices for shopping, dining and entertainment for a mellow, messy, leaf-kicking perfect send-off to fall:
3 Catch the spell-binding opening of the Colorado Ballet season as it performs Don Quixote at the Ellie, Oct. 4-13. Romantic work features stunning Spanish sets and costumes. Information: 303-837-8888.
3 See rugby teams from 12 nations vie at the USA Women’s Sevens at Infinity Park Stadium, Oct. 5-6. Information: usawomens7glendale.com.
3 Attend Safehouse’s signature Hope Gala Oct. 12 with entertainment and a buffet dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, 6 p.m. Information: 303-302-6126.
3 Get the flavor of fall at Project Angel Heart’s A Taste For Life at the Hyatt Convention Center Oct. 17, 6-10 p.m. Information: 303-407-9420.
3 Make your home sparkle for this holiday’s expected and unexpected company with custom drapery and Roman shades from Cherry Creek Shade & Drapery on E. 6th Ave. Information: 303-355-4223.
3 Carve-out Thanksgiving Day plans early by making reservations for your family and friends to dine at the Monaco Inn Restaurant. Traditional holiday choices, serving 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Information: 303-320-1104.
3 Make the season special by going to the annual Fall Chili Cookoff at Joy’s Wine & Spirits Oct. 20, noon to 4 p.m. Information: 303-744-6219.
3 See the sole U.S. exhibit of the landmark Claude Monet exhibit The Truth of Nature at the DAM, Oct. 21-Feb 2. Information: 720-913-0130.
3 For devilishly divine diversion catch some of the 250 blockbuster films showing at the Denver Film Festival, Oct. 30-Nov. 10. There’s a red-carpet opening Oct. 31 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House followed by an opening-night party at the McNichols Bldg. Many of the films are being shown at the Sie FilmCenter and UA Pavilions, other venues plus two more screening at the Ellie. Information: 720-281-0813.
Ah, fall — there are so many reasons to totally love the season: The weather is just about perfect, which makes it absolutely ideal for heading to the pumpkin patch. Jeepers Creepers, just about everyone enjoys decorating pumpkins and dressing up in bizarre costumes for all the Halloween parties (especially the kids).
Irish-Scottish immigrants brought All Hallows Eve (Halloween in the U.S.) here so we all need to send a silent thank you to our ancestors for the spooky gift.
Whether parties, marathon horror movies or the wonders of nature, October is about enjoying the last waning days before the onslaught of the holidays and New Year’s resolutions. As L.M. Montgomery wrote in Anne of Green Gables, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” This month if you’ve got it, Haunt It!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.