Kate Gibbons

Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park has started its 123rd season with a new family-friendly roller coaster, seven more shows and a third custom-craft beer.

The park's new Blazin' Buckaroo allows cowboys and cowgirls as short as 36 inches high to climb aboard (but they'll need to be accompanied by an adult until they reach 42 inches). While the new coaster may not have the vertical drops or speed of the park's other roller coasters -- Twister 2 and the Mind Eraser -- the Blazin' Buckaroo still makes two full spins around the 360-foot track with a 15-foot drop, several quick turns and hits a speed of 15 mph.

See also:
- Radium and roller coasters: A brief, dirty history of Elitch Gardens
- Custom beers: Great Divide rolls with Chipotle while the Wynkoop rides with Elitch's
- For Your Amusement: Elitch Gardens' summer plans

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The official start of summer is over a month away, but the unofficial start is upon us, with the release of the Film on the Rocks 2013 schedule. There's certain to be some controversy over the selection, but as in years past, the Denver Film Society -- led by FOTR Program Director Britta Erickson -- has taken great care in curating a series of both crowd-pleasing and interesting movies. Kicking off with Back to the Future on May 29, the line-up also includes titles like Wet Hot American Summer and Die Hard.

"I think it's a really great combination and caters to an array of generations," says Karla Rodriguez, audience development and social media manager for FOTR. "It's not just movies you want to bring your kids to -- it's movies you want you want to bring your parents to."

See also:
- 2012 Film on the Rocks includes fan-favorite The Notebook, but no Big Lebowski
- 100 Colorado Creatives: Keith Garcia, Denver Film Society
- Best of Denver 2013: Pre- and Post-Movie Party Spot- Sie FilmCenter

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Shayna Ferm, a prodigal Coloradan who's returned from years in the New York comedy scene, hosts and organizes a monthly show called Pump and Dump, designed to engage young moms and provide a sorely needed evening of fun. Ferm, a young mother herself, was frustrated by the lack of entertainment opportunities for new moms and created a show specifically suited to their unique needs. In doing so, she has not identified an underserved demographic, but brought cathartic laughs to many overstressed local mothers.

In advance of Saturday night's show at Local 46, we met with Ferm to discuss Pump and Dump, moving back to Denver and the Highlands Mommy mafia.

See also:
- Think Mommy Dearest was tough? Consider these divas of the animal world
- Westword Book Club: Comedian Adrian Mesa on spirituality in literature
- Mother's Day Family Show at Comedy Works

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And you thought you had it bad when your mom said, "No cookies until after dinner"...at least your mother didn't devour her young! According to Brian Aucone, vice president for animal care at the Denver Zoo, a wide variety of animals have been documented killing and occasionally cannibalizing their children. "Animals don't tend to be as loving to their offspring as we think," says Aucone, noting that we humans often transpose our own emotions onto animals. "These mothers may appear to be cute and cuddly one day, and then they'll turn around and eat their young the next."

So here, just in time for Mother's Day, are many reasons to remember just how good we have it. No kidding!

See also:
- Little, dead and hungry: Midget Zombie Takeover comes to the Oriental tonight
- Ten spots that give Colfax its culture and character
- Anthony Jeselnik celebrates baby-death, bulimia and domestic violence at DU

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ArtSmyths

It's been a long wait, but RTD's spanking new West Rail Line officially opened to passengers this morning. Tomorrow, however, the parties begin, as the transit organization opens all of its rail lines up for free rides, with themed community celebrations, also free, scheduled at most of the new West Line stations. Hop aboard! Continue reading for a list of sanctioned parties and one impromptu one, and then visit RTD online for maps and more information.

See also:
- The Rail Thing: RTD W Rail Line Grand Opening Celebrations
- A new RTD light-rail station is "convenient to nothing"
- Photos: Union Station tour digs dirt on transit hub, light rail

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When Sarah Fox began Fox Art School in 2010, she wanted to fill what she saw as a hole in the arts community. "I have a background in art education and I was really missing it," says Fox, who at that point had taken some time off from teaching art -- which she had been doing in Colorado and Oklahoma since 1995. "I started to look around at what different art opportunities there were for kids in Denver, and seeing if there was something that would be a good fit for me -- and I was really surprised."

The surprise was the lack of immersive arts programs geared towards school-age children. That inspired Fox, herself an artist who also works in advertising, to create Fox Art School, a small effort involving a partnership with Space Gallery, which houses the one-of-a-kind, week-long seasonal camps.

See also:
- What is Colorado culture? The Art Students League of Denver looks to provide answers
- Our band (of Pickles) could be your life: A reflection on coaching Girls Rock camp
- Dylan Scholinski seeks donations in his mission to bring art to kids with gender issues

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The One Million Bones Project in process, at Fruita Monument High School.

This one's officially for the kids, but it's really about the whole world, and the suffering of people in other nations. As part of its ongoing Monthly Creative Literacy program in collaboration with the Denver Public Library, RedLine will host the second of two One Million Bones art events in Denver this afternoon.

See also:
- Material Engagements highlights the work of RedLine artists
- Design for the Other 90% reinvents the wheel and more, tonight at RedLine
- RedLine show opens tonight which showcases the art of formerly-homeless Denver residents

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"This is the season of light for so many faiths," says Carol Kozak Ward of the Colorado Hebrew Chorale. And so tonight, the group is inviting everyone to the annual Festival of Lights at Four Mile Historic Park. The singers open the celebration to anyone interested in sharing the traditions of Hanukkah, regardless of religious affiliation, and will entertain with a cannon of traditional tunes sung in English, Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino -- and or Judeo-Spanish.

See also:
- Events: Top Latke Cook-off & Hanukkah Party
- 10 things to do for $10 in Denver this weekend (7 free!), December 7-9
- Harmony: A Colorado Chorale's Big Gay Holiday Sing-In welcomes all voices this Saturday

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nucliawaste.com

Big Gay Holiday Sing In's host, Nuclia Waste.

There's no audition necessary to be a part of Harmony: A Colorado Chorale's all-inclusive chorus. "That is part of our mission -- to make sure everyone feels welcome," says William Loper, artistic director for the chorale. At 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, December 8, at Messiah Community Church, anyone who loves to sing is invited to celebrate the holiday season by joining a multi-generational chorus. Hosted by one of Denver's most notable queens, Nuclia Waste, the evening of non-denominational cheer will also feature drag performances and vocal help from 5280 A Capella.

See also:
- Light up the night in 2012 with the Denver area's best holiday displays
- Creche landing: Shedding light on the holiday display at City Hall
- Voices Carry: Harmony has something to sing about

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The gods couldn't quite conjure up any snow to dash through, but tonight in Sunnyside, you can still go on a horse-drawn ride, bells a'jingling, and laughing all the way. Ernie's Bar & Pizza will host the fourth annual Sunnyside Sleigh Ride from 5 to 8 p.m., inviting neighborhood families and other adventurous souls out for an evening of old-fashioned fun.

See also:
- Light up the night in 2012 with the Denver area's best holiday displays
- Skate into the holiday season at the Rink at Belmar
- Blossoms of Light

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