A Taste of Colorado 2012 - FREE Admission

Num Num. Whether you love fine dining or truck food, Denver's Taste of Colorado has something yummy for you to nosh on over Labor Day weekend.  Family friendly events, cooking demos, wine, beer, music and merchants round out the fun at this three day festival, Aug. 31  to Sept. 31.Admission is FREE! At downtown's Civic Center Park. Check out above link for details. We recommend public transportation, because parking around the festival will be a nightmare. 

Friday: 11:30AM to 10:00PM.
Saturday & Sunday: 10:30AM to 10:00PM
Monday: 10:30AM. to 8:00PM.

Aug. 29 FREE Day at Molly Brown Museum

Wednesday August 29 is a FREE day at Denver's Molly Brown House Museum . This is a great opportunity to visit the opulent (and haunted) home, built in 1889. Free admission does not include special exhibit marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and home girl Molly's role in the tragedy. 1340 Pennsylvania St. Denver.

See the Stars at Du's Chamberlin Observatory

Check out the stars at At DU's Historic Chamberlin Observatory every Tuesday and Thursday night. You can see a multi-media astronomy presentation and telescopic views (weather permitting) of the moon, stars, planets and galaxies. Starts about 7PM and tix are $3/adults; $2/kiddos.
Reservations recommended and they fill quickly.

Celebrate Alien Abduction Day March 20

Adjust your foil hats and check for implants kids, Alien Abduction Day, March 20 is right around the corner! Yeah, March 20 is also the first day of Spring, but big deal, so what? Alien Abduction Day is a real holiday, especially here in Denver, where a couple of years ago we had a ballot measure to establish a commission to track extraterrestrials. It also would have allowed residents to record their UFO observations on Denver's city Web page and report sightings.

To our great sadness (as it would have provided much blog fodder), that ballot measure was soundly defeated, but we know Denverites still enjoy national Alien Abduction Day! And how, you may ask, should we celebrate?

First, in the name of public safety, we strongly urge you to stay away from alien hot spots and use Alien Abduction Day as an excuse to call in sick to work and/or or cut classes on Tuesday. That  way you can spend the day safely ensconced in your abode with a few good movies, out of sight of marauding aliens looking to unleash those impolite body cavity probes. Ewwww!

We recommend the following films: "Fire in the Sky" (1993) "Killer Clowns from Outer Space" (1985) "Teenagers from Outer Space" (1959) "Mars Attacks" (1996) "It Came From Outer Space" (1953) "Signs" (2002) "The Blob"(1958) "Predator" (1987)" The Thing From Another World" (1951 )"War of the Worlds" (1953 and 2005 versions)"Men in Black" (1997) "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) "John Carpenter's The Thing" (1982) "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (both the1956 and 1978 versions) and "Independence Day" (1996).

Want more cinematic inspiration? Check out Den of Geek's alien abduction movie selections.

Other ways to celebrate: Enjoy the #AlienAbductionDay fun on Twitter. Construct a sign for your cubicle that says "PLEASE abduct me and get me off this GD planet. PLEASE."  Or check out Real UFOs, which track UFO sightings across the U.S., including this recent one from Lafayette, Colorado. Colorado Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON, is another UFO tracking site.

Keep in mind that celebrity abductees and UFO fanatics abound:

• Sammy Haggar. The former Van Halen front-man and current maker of Cabo Wabo tequila revealed details in his autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock."
• Fran Drescher. The former star of "The Nanny," claimed that both she and her former husband were abducted by extraterrestrials and had chips implanted in their hands.
• Shirley Maclaine. According to Parade Magazine the actress and and eccentric extraordinaire owns a $25 million policy protecting her against the possibility of alien abduction.
• Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones' front-man reportedly claimed that he saw a UFO sometime in 1968, TheRockRadio.com reported. Author Michael C. Luckman who wrote the book "Alien Rock: The Rock 'n' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection," has reportedly said that the incident led Jagger to develop a life-long passion for UFOs.
• Ronald Reagan: Author Darwin Porter claimed in a book that the former U.S. president believed aliens were spying on the Earth for decades and that they wanted to invade America. But The Sun reported that the ex-President's daughter Patti Davis pooh-poohed those claims and said that her father may have just been joking. Shoot!
• Elvis Presley: The "Suspicious Minds" singer reportedly made several UFO sightings in his lifetime. At least one author has claimed that Presley was visited by two aliens when he was eight years old. The aliens allegedly gave Presley a look at this famous future.
• Muhammad Ali. The Greatest claimed to have witnessed UFOs on numerous occasions, including while he was jogging in Central Park in New York City.
• Buzz Aldrin. In an interview on the Science Channel in 2005, Apollo astronaut Aldrin said that the crew of the Apollo 11 mission had seen a UFO on their way to the moon. However, later Aldrin would say that his words were taken out of context, even though his story was supported on the program by senior Apollo 11 scientist, Dr. David Baker. Aldrin has also made other strange statements that some believe allude to Aldrin knowing more about an extraterrestrial presence in space than he would like to share. C'mon Buzz! Spill it!

And remember:  If you are cornered by alien robots just shout: "Gort Klaatu barada nikto." And run.