Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend in Denver in conventional or not-so-conventional ways!

It’s been a while since many of us have had a holiday from work, so it’s natural to want to make the most of your Memorial Day Weekend.  Sometimes it’s a lot more stressful than relaxing to try to turn a three day weekend into a getaway trip, so if you want to have a refreshing holiday it might be easier to stay at home.  Luckily, Denver has several events that weekend to help add some excitement into your restful vacation.

14th Annual Downtown Denver Arts Festival

The Downtown Denver Arts Festival runs from Friday the 25th through Monday the 28th, so it’ll be easy to fit a visit into your weekend plans.  It’s a huge showcase of some of the best artistic talent in Colorado and across the nation.  You can infuse your Memorial Day Weekend with a bit of beauty and perhaps find a new piece of original home decor for your apartment!

The Memorial Day Remembrance Parade and Ceremonies

On Saturday May 26 you can celebrate Memorial Day and our veterans by attending the Memorial Day Remembrance Parade and Ceremonies near Civic Center Park.  There’s a Wreath Remembrance Ceremony at 9 AM and a Parade at 10 AM followed by a Tribute Ceremony at 11 at the Colorado Veterans Monument.  There will be live entertainment at the event, but it is primarily a wonderful way to honor our veterans and remember the reason for Memorial Day.

Adoption Event at Pets-N-Stuff

For a completely unconventional start to your Memorial Day Weekend, you can find a new friend to share your pet-friendly Talavera apartment!  On Friday May 25, Foothills Animal Shelter is holding an adoption event at Pets-N-Stuff on 7777 W Jewell Ave.  Getting a pet for your apartment is, in a roundabout way, actually conducive to a relaxing weekend as pets have health benefits like decreasing your blood pressure and sense of loneliness.

Photo by Witthaya Phonsawat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Neighborhood Walking Tour would make an excellent date!

Experience the flavors of some of Denver’s greatest restaurants by taking part in a Neighborhood Walking Tour!  If you enjoy wandering the beautiful historic streets of Denver or discovering new amazing eating spots in the city, then the Walking Tours are the perfect use of a Friday evening for you!

Neighborhood Walking Tours are held on Fridays from 3 PM to 5 PM, ending for Happy Hour so that you can complete your lovely afternoon with great drink specials.  During the two hour walking tour, you will visit four locations, have the opportunity to interact with the chefs, and enjoy delicious tastings and pairings.  There is a maximum of 12 guests for each tour, so you will have plenty of opportunity to talk with the chefs and you won’t be overwhelmed by a huge mass of people.

The Walking Tours cost $39 per person, and you can purchase tickets online.  If you find that you really enjoy the experience, you should know that they rotate the restaurants they visit so there are plenty of opportunities for new discovery.

What is your favorite restaurant in the historic areas of Denver?  Tell us about it on our Facebook page, and be sure to “Like” us while you’re there!

Photo by zole4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You'll have a ton of fun at these dance parties!

Dance is a wonderful way to turn exercising into a fun and social event.  It has many great health benefits, both physical and mental, from brightening moods to improving muscle tone and cardiovascular health.  If you love to dance, then you will be delighted to know that there are two upcoming dance parties near your Talavera apartment this May!

Fiesta Dance Party at Booth’s DanceSport Ballroom

The Fiesta Dance Party is held on May 18 from 7 to 9:30 PM at Denver’s own Booth’s DanceSport Ballroom.  It will be a night full of dancing, potluck food, and a special performance for your entertainment.  Also, if you make a mean salsa (as in the food, not the dance style), you can enter it into their Salsa Contest.  Admission to the Fiesta Dance Party is only $5.

Potluck Party and Am Jam and Show at Adventures in Dance

Located in Littleton, CO, Adventures in Dance hosts a number of parties every month.  They also have a potluck Dance Party on May 18, lasting from 8 PM until 9:30 PM.  Admission is $5 if you bring a dish, $10 otherwise, and you spend the whole night dancing and tasting the potluck dishes.  If you don’t want to miss the Fiesta Dance Party, you can come to another Potluck Dance Party at Adventures in Dance on June 1st.

If you prefer to watch other dancers perform their craft, you can return to Adventures in Dance from 3-5 PM on the 19th and enjoy a free show!  The dancers are practicing their routines for the Colorado Star Ball, so you’re sure to enjoy the show.  Afterwards, you can participate in a movement clinic for $15.

What kind of dance do you like to do?  Tell us about it on our Facebook page, and be sure to “Like” us while you’re there!

Photo by Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You never know what kind of treasures are hidden away at a big community yard sale!

If you’ve been considering some redecorating in your Talavera home, search for new accessories at low prices at the Arvada Historical Society Yard Sale!

Held at the Arvada Flour Mill on Olde Wadsworth Blvd from May 18 through May 19, the Yard Sale is a huge fundraiser for the Arvada Historical Society.  It’s open from 9 AM to 5 PM on both days, during which time you can browse their collection of trinkets, household goods, furniture, hardware, and collectibles.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to find unique items to freshen up the design of your home.  Furniture can be painted to look brand new and custom-fit your decor, and damaged or unusual objects can find new uses around your home.  Martha Stewart has compiled a list of suggestions for repurposing old or damaged furniture into beautiful home decor, so if you like any of those projects you can head to the yard sale with a better idea of what to seek.

If you want to make donations to the yard sale, they are accepting drop-offs this Saturday the 12th from 9 AM to 3 PM and Monday the 14th through Wednesday the 16th from 11 AM to 7 PM.  They aren’t accepting clothes, nonfunctional items, chemicals, large appliances, microwaves, computer-related items, or upholstered furniture.

What was your best find at a yard sale?  Tell us about it on our Facebook page, and be sure to “Like” us while you’re there!

Photo by scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Flowers are a wonderful way to show your appreciation to your mother!

Mothers living at Talavera deserve special treatment this Mother’s Day!  From pancakes to presents, there are plenty of ways to show appreciation to the mothers in your life for all the hard work they’ve done.  Make this Mother’s Day a wonderful one with the help of some of Denver’s finest restaurants and businesses!

Waking up to a fresh bouquet of flowers on the nightstand or delivered to the door is a wonderful way to start any morning.  Lehrer’s Flowers of Denver has a huge selection of beautiful flower arrangements, with several specifically designed for Mother’s Day!  You’re sure to find a bouquet that suits her perfectly, and you can either pick it up yourself or have it delivered for a fun surprise.

After she wakes up to the beautiful flowers, you can either make her a homemade brunch or take her out to her favorite restaurant!  A number of restaurants in Denver are offering special menus for Mother’s Day brunches and dinners, so there are plenty of options to choose from.

Finally, if you need a great gift idea, consider getting her a luxurious spa treatment at Spa Universaire!  After all, being a mother is hard and stressful work, and she will appreciate the day of relaxation.

How are you celebrating your mother this Mother’s Day?  Share your ideas with us on our Facebook page or in the comments below; we’d love to hear from you!

Photo by Kaz Andrew

Being prepared for severe weather can reduce a lot of anxiety about extreme weather events.

Last week was Colorado’s Severe Weather Awareness Week and this week is the National Severe Storm Preparedness Week, so this is the perfect time for Talavera residents to prepare their families and their apartments for the possibility of severe weather in Denver.

We’re about to enter the season known for the greatest chance of dangerous weather in Colorado, which lasts from May through July, so it’s a good idea to get prepared now.  A good way to prepare your family for severe weather is to put together an emergency kit in your apartment.  This kit should contain food, water, flashlights and batteries, a weather radio, first aid supplies, blankets, important documents (including immunization records for your pets), and anything else you feel is necessary for survival.  A camping lantern is also a great thing to have in case of power outage, as it sheds a lot of light and doesn’t require you to hold it.

How have you prepared for a severe weather situation?  Share your tips with us on Facebook, and be sure to “Like” us while you’re there!

Photo by Jennifer Ellison / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This Chihuahua is ready to race at Denver's Cinco de Mayo celebration!

Cinco de Mayo is coming up fast, and Denver is the perfect place to be to celebrate!  Denver’s Civic Center Park holds one of the largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the United States.  Over 400,000 attendees are expected to be present at the 25^th Annual Cinco de Mayo “Celebrate Culture” Festival, and if you like music, dance, good food, and shopping, you’ll want to be among them!

The Festival kicks off with a parade at 10 AM on Cinco de Mayo, beginning at Colfax Ave and Welton St.  After the parade is over, you can enjoy the live Latino music and dance showing on three stages around the festival, shop the hundreds of vendors and exhibitors, and taste a wide range of delicious Mexican dishes available for sale.  For more delicious food, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM on Saturday you’ll want to check out the Annual Green Chili Bowl Cook-off to taste and vote for your favorite chili dish.

One of the most unique parts of the Festival is the Chihuahua Race, sponsored by Jammin’ 101.5.  The race is held at 2 PM at Broadway and 14^th Street and it’s free to enter if you have a Chihuahua living in your pet-friendly Talavera apartment.  Even if you don’t have a Chihuahua, it’s definitely worth watching these tiny dogs race for the finish line.

How are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo?  Tell us about your plans on our Facebook page; we’d love to hear about them!

Photo by Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Don't throw out your old shirts; they can be useful in other ways!

If you are cleaning your Talavera apartment and finding a bunch of items you no longer want, don’t throw them out just yet! There are tons of ways you can repurpose your stuff into different useful items, and, with Earth Day this weekend, now is the perfect time to try a new recycling craft!  Here are just a few suggestions using a t-shirt, food containers, and a potholder.

T-Shirt Laptop Sleeve

Why buy a laptop sleeve when you can just make one out of a favorite old t-shirt?  Make Magazine has a very easy tutorial for you to follow; two straight-line stitches are all it takes to have a laptop sleeve with a pocket for the laptop and another for its cords.  If you want, you can also use the t-shirt sleeves to add extra pockets to the front to hold more accessories or small gadgets.

Container Magnets

If you’ve ever purchased tea, candy, or other food in a pretty container and felt bad about throwing it away, Martha Stewart has a ridiculously simple solution: put a magnet on the back of it and use it to hold pens and pencils on your lovely GE fridge!  If you don’t have a container you think is attractive enough for the fridge but still want a pen container, you can decorate an unattractive one with contact paper or paint.  If you’re painting a metal tin, you might want to take a bit of sandpaper to it beforehand to roughen the surface and allow the paint to stick.  If that doesn’t appeal, Goodwill or Antique Row might have old tins with interesting designs that you can use.

Eyeglass Holder

If you’re replacing your flat square pot holder with an oven mitt, you can use the old one as an eyeglass holder.  This Making Friends tutorial goes into the details, but essentially you fold the potholder in half, leaving the loop exposed at the top, and sew up two of the edges.  You can then decorate the loop with beads or simply add a keychain.  If your potholder is looking a little worse for wear, decorate it with fabric paint to hide the old burn stains.

How do you repurpose old items around your apartment?  Share your ideas with us on Facebook; we would love to hear them!

Photo by pfctdayelise

Play with a huge pile of LEGO bricks at LEGO KidsFest!

Residents at Talavera with children might want to check out some of the fun family activities that Colorado has to offer during the last weekend of April, several of them right here in Denver!  From a Family Dance to a Family Game Show, there is plenty of fun to be had with the kids this month!

LEGO KidsFest

From April 27 through 29, the Colorado Convention Center in Denver will be filled with LEGO fun at LEGO KidsFest!  There will be a Model Museum with some amazing LEGO sculptures, a LEGO Master Builder Academy that teaches kids basic LEGO engineering tricks, an Activity Area that invites the whole family to enjoy hands-on fun, a Challenge Zone with LEGO competitions, a huge pile of loose LEGO bricks, and much, much more.  Tickets are $18 for kids aged 3 through 17 and seniors 65 years and older.  Adult tickets are $20 and children younger than 2 years old get in free.

FamilyDance Planet

FamilyDance Planet is a new facility that puts together dance parties specifically geared toward families with children from infancy to twelve years old.  The music is upbeat and kid-friendly, so your whole family will have fun dancing to the beats!  FamilyDance Planet is located in Boulder, but it’s worth the drive for the family bonding.  The first FamilyDance planet dance is on Saturday April 28 from 9:30 AM to noon, and you can get two free tickets by signing up on their website.  Additional tickets purchased online are $7.50, and tickets purchased at the door are $10 for everyone over the age of one.

Youth Empowerment Festival

The Youth Empowerment Festival is a full day of fun for the whole family, run by FamilyNation!  There will be vendors, a talent show, jugglers, live music, puppets, and even camel rides!  This festival is located in Palmer Lake, so it’s about an hour’s drive from Talavera.  However, we’d like to again mention the camel rides.  How cool is that?

“Bones –n- Tones” Family Fund Day

If you want to stick closer to home on the 28^th, you can attend the Family Fund Day at Stedman Elementary School right here in Denver.  From 11 AM to 4 PM, you and your family can play games and dance to live music at Stedman Elementary while enjoying some delicious BBQ!

Ultimate Family Game Show Challenge

ComedyWorks in Greenwood Village invites you to participate in the Ultimate Family Game Show Challenge on April 29.  Experience what it’s like to play your favorite game shows and win prizes like family passes to Cici’s Pizza and Speed Racing!  This event starts at 6 PM, and tickets cost between $8 and $12.

What is your favorite family activity near Talavera?  Tell us about it on Facebook or in the comments below!

Photo by Benjamin Esham

Celebrate Earth Day with the whole family at one of the many fun and educational Earth Day events in Denver!

Earth Day is April 22, and Denver is prepared to celebrate the whole weekend!  Residents at Talavera have a bunch of family-friendly Earth Day celebrations in and around Denver, Colorado from which to choose, so be sure to check out these events for the best Earth Day weekend possible!

Earth Day Peace Dance

Held at Denver’s Pomegranate Place on April 21, the Earth Day Peace Dance teaches some easy folk dances accompanied by live music.  The dance is meant to introduce you to the ways different cultures display respect for the Earth.  The event lasts from 2 PM to 3:30 PM, and they ask for a $10 donation to participate.

23^rd Mountain Area Earth Day Fair

The 23^rd Mountain Area Earth Day Fair is a family festival held on April 21^st at the Evergreen Lake House in Evergreen, Colorado, located less than 45 minutes from Talavera.  It is the culmination of Evergreen Lake’s week-long celebration, and is one of Colorado’s largest Earth Day celebrations.  There will be a live raptor show by HawkQuest and sustainable food options from Café @ The Place.  April 21^st is also the grand opening of the Nature Center, so there will be a bunch of activities geared toward children.  The whole event lasts from 10 AM to 4 PM, and admission is free.

Celebrate Earth Day 2012

Celebrate Earth Day 2012 is a program of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, held on April 22.  There will be game shows, local media celebrities reading children’s books, small electronics tables, face painting, a scavenger hunt, and much more!  Make sure you bring a reusable shopping bag for 10% off your entire purchase at the Museum Shop!

Earth Day Celebration at the Denver Botanic Gardens

Get free admission to the Denver Botanic Gardens on April 22 and celebrate Earth Day by admiring Earth’s natural beauty.  There will be information on biking to the gardens and you can participate in the Cherry Blossom Blitz.

How are you celebrating Earth Day?  Let us know on Facebook, and be sure to “Like” us while you’re there!

Photo by jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net