Denver, CO

Free and cheap things to in August in Denver: 50-cent oysters, local fairs and more

Published

1 year ago

August 3, 2024

Free and cheap things to in August in Denver: 50-cent oysters, local fairs and more

Water World’s 45th anniversary celebration

Adventure seekers cool off in the Thunder Bay Wave Pool at Water World in Federal Heights, Colorado Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Water World is making a big splash for its 45th anniversary by celebrating the milestone with a variety of fun activities throughout the park on Aug. 4. Whether you prefer the tranquility of the Lazy River or thrills of the water coaster Roaring Forks, there’s something fun for everyone. The park will be open for the day from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Activities include a meet-and-greet with mermaids, a free concert, appearances by their mascots Walliver and Winnie, free cookies and more. Plus, visitors will have the chance to win an Elite Season Pass for 2025. All of the fun is included with regular gate admission or a Season Pass. waterworldcolorado.com

Parker Honey Festival

Parker is all abuzz for the family-friendly Parker Honey Festival on Aug. 4 at the town’s O’Brien Park (10795 Victorian Drive). From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., learn about the importance of honey bees and how to support the health of bees and other pollinators. See hives up close, sample honey, make crafts, try on a beekeeper’s suit and pick up lots of bee booty, including honey sticks, dippers and recipes. Attendees will also find lots of health and beauty products made with honey and beeswax. New this year, all vendors will offer an interactive and educational activity. Also, enjoy a Kids’ Hive, music performances and artistic displays. Admission is free. Register to attend at parkerarts.org

Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar

Aw, shucks! Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar has shucked more than 7 million oysters since first opening in Boulder back in 1994. In honor of its 30th anniversary, Jax is throwing it back to 1994 to celebrate the milestone on Aug. 5. From 4 to 6 p.m., each Jax location will serve 700 Jax proprietary CrackerJax oysters on the half shell at their 1994 price of just 50 cents each. The oysters will be sold by the half dozen with a limit of one dozen per order. Customers can order more, once they have cleaned their plate. (Once all 700 oysters are sold, the price will revert back to the happy hour pricing of $2 each.) Jax has five locations in Colorado. jaxfishhouse.com

A&W Restaurants root beer float giveaway

A frosty glass mug of A&W root beer, topped with a head of foam. — Provided by A&W Restaurants
A&W root beer float. (Provided by A&W Restaurants)

Good deals always float to the top, especially on National Root Beer Float Day. A&W Restaurants started with a tiny root beer stand in 1919. To this day, the chain’s signature beverage is still made with real cane sugar and a proprietary blend of herbs, bark, spices and berries. To celebrate, the restaurant is giving customers a free small root beer float on Aug. 6 from 2 to 8 p.m. No purchase necessary. As a part of the celebration, the restaurant chain will also be collecting donations for Disabled American Veterans. awrestaurants.com/national-root-beer-float-day

Washington Park 125th Anniversary Jubilee

In 1899, Denver city landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze drew up the plans for Washington Park. Now, 125 years later, the urban forest is marking its birthday with a blow-out party, and everyone is welcome. The park’s 125th Anniversary Jubilee is Aug. 7 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free. On the schedule are a variety of family-friendly activities, including a dog parade, scavenger hunt and visits with live animals. For those feeling active, there’s a yoga class, fishing, tennis clinics, croquet lessons, a climbing wall and more. Plus, enjoy live jazz music, history talks and food trucks. fanswashingtonpark.org/washington-park-celebrates-125th-anniversary

2024 Parade of Homes

The 2024 Parade of Homes features dozens of newly designed and custom homes across the greater metro area, all open to the public for free tours from Thursday to Sunday. The event runs Aug. 8-25 from noon to 5 p.m. No reservations are required. Homes range from luxury show homes to affordably-priced houses, from innovative to elegant, located in neighborhoods across the Front Range. Some people visit with an eye to buy, while others are simply looking for design inspiration for their own homes. If you prefer, virtual tours are also available online. Download a map for directions and to plan your route. paradeofhomesdenver.com

Military & Vets free admission to Colorado state parks

In a show of appreciation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is inviting active duty, veterans and the National Guard to enjoy all state parks for free during the month of August. Military members and veterans, resident and nonresident, can pick up a complimentary August Military Pass at any Colorado State Park or CPW office by showing proof of service. All other park fees remain in effect, including camping reservations, boat and off-highway vehicle registrations, as well as hunting and fishing licenses. cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/MilitaryBenefits.aspx

Boulder County Fair

At 155 years of age, the Boulder County Fair is Colorado’s oldest. Rodeos, a colorful midway with all kinds of entertainment, a slew of kid’s activities, animal barns, a traditional carnival, music, crafts, food and more fill the fair calendar from Aug. 7 to 11. The event takes place at Boulder County Fairgrounds (9595 Nelson Road) in Longmont from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. Parking and gate admission are both free, with most special events ranging from $10 to $20 for adults. An unlimited carnival rides wristband is $35 per day. Aug. 8 is Kids’ Day at the carnival from noon to 11 p.m. with unlimited rides for just $20. The discounted wristband is available between noon and 4 p.m. and can only be used that day. bouldercountyfair.org

Lafayette Peach Festival

The 25th annual Lafayette Peach Festival in Old Town turns the city’s main street into one sweet event on Aug. 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Morton’s Orchards, Tate Orchards, Green Barn Fruit Co. and Palisade Organic Peach Ranch truck in more than 30,000 pounds of certified organic peaches from Palisade for peach lovers to purchase. Plus, find hundreds of fresh peach pies and pans of peach cobbler at the Festival Plaza. Get there early because the peach treats always sell out quickly. The festival will also showcase crafters, antique dealers and artists from the Front Range and Western states. For kids, there’s free face painting and balloon sculpting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parking is available in the surrounding neighborhoods — just do not block driveways or park in restricted areas. lafayettecolorado.com/special-events

South by Southeast

Southeast Denver is home to a huge summer festival. This year’s South by Southeast is set for Aug. 17 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Bible Park. The free community festival features food trucks, a beer garden, live music, vendors and more. Family-friendly games and activities include corn hole, bubble tower, giant cup pong, kids’ play area, a Denver fire truck, Denver Mounted Patrol, photo booth and more. Parking is limited, so consider walking or biking to the event. They’re also looking for volunteers to assist with the festival. Get a free T-shirt and drink, if you do. denvergov.org

Arvada Days

Looking for some old-fashioned fun before summer ends? Look no further than Arvada Days on Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Clear Creek Valley Park (3700 W. 58th Place). The event features food trucks, magic shows, train rides, live music, a beer garden, Nerf Zone, games and inflatables, community resources, crafts vendors and more. Admission is free. Adults can quench their thirst at the beer garden with proceeds benefiting Ralston House. There will also be a secure complimentary bike valet on site. arvadafestivals.com/arvada-days

Affordable Arts Festival

CEO Dave Prokupek says Smashburger expects ... — Provided by Affordable Arts Festival
The Affordable Arts Festival features jewelry and more for under $150.

The annual Affordable Arts Festival is unlike any arts fest you have attended because all of the art is priced at $150 or less. The event takes place outdoors on Aug. 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Arapahoe Community College (5900 S. Santa Fe Drive). This is the “Black Friday” of art sales, with more than 160 artists from around the country selling their works in a variety of mediums at bargain prices. Art lovers and enthusiasts will find paintings, mixed media, jewelry, glass, photography, sculptures and more – some of which were originally priced at thousands of dollars. Gates open at 9 a.m., but enthusiastic shoppers who line up early at 7 a.m. will enjoy a coffee cart selling java and pastries. Admission is $12 online or at the gate, with proceeds benefitting the Arapahoe Community College scholarship program. Use promo code CHEAP online for a $1 discount. Children 12 and under are admitted for free. affordableartsfestival.com

Art Students League of Denver’s Summer Art Market

More than 175 local artists will bring their wares to the public during the Arts League of Denver’s Summer Art Market (200 Grant St.) in Denver on Aug. 24 and 25. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Whether your home looks like a museum or you’re a novice collector, find lots of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, fiber art and mixed media at reasonable prices. All artists are students, faculty or members of the league. Tickets are $5 and valid for the entire weekend. Children 12 and under get in free. Purchase tickets online or at the door. Parking is limited, so organizers recommend carpooling, public transportation or biking/walking to the event. asld.org/show-details/summer-art-market

Send tips to info@milehighonthecheap.com 14 to 21 days in advance.

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Originally Published: August 3, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

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Denver, CO

Cambodian Government Requests Records from Disgraced Art Historian and Denver Art Museum Board Member

Published

7 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Press Room

Cambodian Government Requests Records from Disgraced Art Historian and Denver Art Museum Board Member

The Cambodian government formally reached out to the family of Emma C. Bunker, an art historian who died in 2021 and who sat on the board of the Denver Art Museum, for her records and archival materials, the Denver Post reported.

The request follows on from the repatriation of 11 Asian artifacts by DAM in recent years to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. The works had primarily been donated by Bunker, who came under scrutiny several years ago after it was found that she sourced acquisitions of several works from Douglas Latchford, an art and antiquities dealer accused of smuggling and dealing in looted Southeast Asian antiquities. Latchford died in 2020 before he could stand trial, while Bunker died a year later and was never officially charged with any wrongdoing.

The Denver Post, however, continued to report on Bunker’s ties to Latchford after her death, releasing a three-part investigation in 2022 alleging that Bunker helped Latchford use DAM as a “way station for looted art.” Bunker had established an acquisitions fund for DAM to help set up its Asian galleries. The Post alleged that she used her scholarly reputation to vouch for Latchford and even helped the dealer forge provenance records to faciltiate the sales through the fund.

The museum cut ties with Bunker in 2023, removing her name from its Southeast Asian gallery wall and returning a sizable donation to her family.

Now the Cambodian government, through attorney Bradley Gordon, sent an email to Bunker’s son, Lambert, asking for his mother’s “extensive notebooks concerning Cambodia,” as wellas photographs of Cambodian statues that Bunker arranged for several publications co-written with Latchford.

“We are very eager to consult these materials as we continue our search for several important statues originating from the country,” Gordon wrote in the email, which the Post reviewed.

The Denver Art Museum did not respond to a request for comment at press time.

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Denver, CO

Denver housing market takes an early holiday

Published

20 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Press Room

Denver housing market takes an early holiday

Metro Denver’s housing market usually slows around the holidays, and for the second year in a row, November experienced a big drop in both new listings and sales, according to a monthly update from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.

Sellers put 2,620 homes on the market last month, which is 41.4% fewer than the 4,470 listed in October. For the year, new listings are down 4.6%. A year ago, the monthly drop was almost identical at 41.5%, with the annual change up 1%.

Buyers also continue to hold back. Closings fell 23.4% month-over-month and are down 13.2% year-over-year in November. That contrasts with monthly declines of around 16% the prior two Novembers.

With new listings down more than sales, the inventory of homes and condos on the market fell 15.9% in November to 10,506. The inventory remains up 12.8% from the same month a year ago.

Rather than viewing the soft numbers as signs of a breakdown, they should be looked at as a market taking its normal seasonal break, according to comments included in the report.

“It’s not that sellers don’t desire to sell their current home and move, it’s that they don’t desire to part with a low APR rate on their current mortgage and trade it for a rate that could be three to four times higher,” said Susan Thayer, a member of the DMAR Market Trends Committee and an area Realtor, in comments included with the report.

Likewise, it isn’t that homebuyers don’t trust the homebuying process as much as they may not trust the state of the economy.

“Sellers who desire to sell and price their homes accordingly will find there are still plenty of buyers out there – even in the top price range of our market,” Thayer said.

Listings took a median of 36 days on the market in November, up from 28 days a year earlier. But attracting a buyer in today’s market is only half the battle. Close to 17% of sellers in Denver had a pending sales contract fall through in October, according to the real estate firm Redfin. That is above the U.S. average of 15.1%, and sits between San Diego and Phoenix in the rankings.

Aside from uncertainty, buyers may also be sensing that a long-awaited pivot in home prices might be underway. The median price of a single-family home that sold in November was $640,000, down 1.5% from November and up 0.8% from a year earlier.

A reversal is more evident in condo and townhome prices, which are down 2% on the month and 7.3% on the year to $380,000. Higher HOA fees and more borrowing restrictions have made attached properties less appealing, even though they are more affordable on the surface.

Combine the drop in sales and the mix of homes sold, and November’s sales volume was down 25.6% from October and 11.3% a year earlier.

The slowing seen in Denver is happening in many other places. The annualized rate of existing home sales in the U.S. was 4.1 million in October, close to September’s rate of 4.05 million.

“For some perspective, this is the same activity level that prevailed in October 2008 during the middle of the Housing Bust and a month after Lehman Brothers collapsed. It’s about 20% lower than the worst month in 2001 during the dotcom bust, and light years away from the 2021 peak of 6.6 million,” noted Elliot Eisenberg, with Econ 70, who will be providing an economic forecast to DMAR next month, in an email.

Eisenberg also notes that the share of the U.S. population who considered themselves as middle class has fallen from 85% a decade ago to 54% today. More than 40% of people now consider themselves as lower or working class.

“This suggests that a very large and growing section of society no longer sees themselves as upwardly mobile and sees the finer things as increasingly out of reach,” he said.

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Denver, CO

Broncos vs. Raiders: Wednesday practice participation report

Published

1 day ago

December 4, 2025

Press Room

Broncos vs. Raiders: Wednesday practice participation report

The Denver Broncos have a mix of good and bad news to start their Week 14 preparation to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. First, the good news. Edge rusher Jonah Elliss is a full participant to start this week after a multi-week rehab on a hamstring injury. It sure looks like he’ll be ready to return to action barring any setbacks there.

The bad news is interior defensive lineman D.J. Jones was a non-participant in practice on Wednesday. He was seen watching practice without a helmet, but no other status update on his potential availability for Sunday’s game.

Here is your full practice report for Wednesday.

Denver Broncos Injury Report

Las Vegas Raiders Injury Report

BOLD – Indicates change in status; NIR- Indicates not injury related; *- Team conducted a walk-through / report is an estimation
STATUS DEFINITIONS: Did not participate (DNP); Limited: means less than 100 percent of a player’s normal repetitions; Full—100 percent of player’s normal repetitions; Out: will not play; Doubtful: Unlikely to play; Questionable: Uncertain to play

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