’Crosse Country | October 4–6

<>Over the past two decades, Colorado has become a hotbed for lacrosse. That love for the sport helped the state lure this month’s Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Championship Weekend from its usual perch on the East Coast to Denver—making it just the second city west of the Mississippi to host the event. The University of Denver’s Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium will welcome the semifinals on Friday, and the winners will play for the title at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park two days later. (Tickets start at $15 per game, and with the Denver Outlaws second in the standings at press time, there’s a good chance you’ll see the home team nab its second straight championship.) On the Saturday between the games, the MLL will throw its annual awards ceremony, during which it will crown its MVP in a fitting celebration for both the growing league and the region’s leading lax hub. 

Potato Party | October 5 

<>Carbondale was the nation’s top potato producer in the early 20th century. Today’s taters come mostly from Idaho, but the town still celebrates its heritage annually. You can too during the 110th Carbondale Potato Day Parade and Celebration on October 5, which features <>spud-themed floats and a farmers’ market.

5280 October 2019
More From The Issue

Leveling Up | October 5

<>University of Colorado Boulder instructors Matt Bethancourt and Danny Rankin and Matt’s wife, Lisa, a game developer, started the Whaaat!? Festival for Games and Experimental Interaction in 2018 to nerd out with a handful of like-minded developers over odd projects. Then the event drew hundreds more than anticipated. To accommodate the glut of gamers, they added even more avant-garde entertainment to this year’s free event at the Atlas Institute in Boulder. Attendees can play games like Buster Blunder: Participants <>blow into Nintendo cartridges to power virtual vehicles. Tickets start at $30

The Broadmoor Art Academy. Photo courtesy of ©1979 Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

Coming Of Age | October 12

<>Spencer and Julie Penrose, founders of the Broadmoor Hotel, started the Broadmoor Art Academy in 1919 in hopes of creating an institution that would garner national recognition. The school delivered on that ambition by attracting legendary en plein air artists—such as John F. Carlson, George Biddle, and Mary Chenoweth—who wanted to teach while painting and drawing the area’s striking scenery. In 1936, the academy became the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, which, in 2018, the American Art Awards named one of its 25 Best Galleries and Museums. For its 100th Birthday Party, the center is returning to its roots by showcasing a gallery of masterpieces created during the school’s earliest years. The collection includes Ernest Lawson’s painting of Cripple Creek, on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. One hundred never looked so good. 

Photo courtesy of City of Fort Collins Lincoln Center

Philanthropic Fashion | October 18–26

<>For one week, the Artwear Biennial will transform Fort Collins into the fashion capital of the country—or at least of Colorado. After watching models strut on the catwalk at Lincoln Center, guests can peruse 300 pieces of covetable couture, including a snow white wedding coat with purple lining from local designer Kari Armstrong. Proceeds support the Fort Collins performing arts venue where the event takes place—meaning you’ve got a good excuse to splurge. Tickets start at $15