Meeeeeow!
Sunday. The feline fantasy day known as Cat Fest Colorado is expanding its all-things-meow offerings this year with a sold-out show floor, roughly 20 cat adoption booths, more “celebrity cats,” a new kitten yoga area and more, according to organizer Dana Cain.
The annual event, returning Sunday, Nov. 9, at the National Western Expo Hall, also features a Cat Video Cafe, a TICA (the International Cat Association) Cat Show, Nathan the CatLady, a cat art show, an Egyptian Cat Temple, a cat toy craft station, free face painting, and a full schedule of Main Stage events, Cain added, along with a dozen-plus adoption opportunities.
Tickets: $20; kids age 5 and under are free. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m Sunday, Nov. 9. Parking is $10. 4655 N. Humboldt St. in Denver. Details and tickets at catfestco.com.
Veteran’s Day Run, Festival
Saturday. This year’s Veterans Day Run, Parade and Festival at Denver’s City Park on Saturday, Nov. 8, brings back the “high-energy, heartfelt tribute to the brave men and women who have served our country,” organizers said. Start the day with the run (8:30-10:15 a.m.), which welcomes runners, joggers and walkers of all levels for a 5K and 10K (plus the 10K Rippetoe Rucksack Challenge – “a test of endurance in which participants carry a 25-pound ruck or backpack throughout the course”). Proceeds support veteran organizations across Colorado.
The parade kicks off at 10:30 and runs through noon with marching bands, ROTC groups, classic cars, veterans’ organizations and community supporters throughout the park. The festival runs through it all — 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. — with family-friendly offerings like local vendors, food, live music, family-friendly activities, veteran resources and a beer garden.
There are various fees, although festival admission is free. Parking is available around City Park, including near the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver. Visit denverveteransday.com for more.
Ready Vet Go
Open now. The wildly popular Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is always cooking up new, interactive fun for families — the latest being Ready Vet Go. The toddler-to-preschooler-focused exhibit balances fun and colorful activities with education and core programming, including “veterinary technology and work by two local artists,” museum officials wrote.
They’re not kidding: Kids can check out functioning medical equipment like a “spinning centrifuge, microscope and slide samples of real organic materials,” organizers added, “and plenty of adorable stuffed animal patients equipped with RFID technology, allowing future vets to get an inside look at creatures with the X-ray machine.”
Recommended for ages 2-5. Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Ready Vet Go is included with museum admission, $16.75-$18.75. Located at 2121 Children’s Museum Drive in Denver. 303-433-7444 or mychildsmuseum.org
U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th
Sunday. You don’t have to be a Marine to check out the U.S. Marine Corps 250th Birthday Ball on Sunday, Nov. 9 – a few days prior to Veterans Day on Nov. 11, organizers pointed out. The public event, held at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in the Lowry neighborhood (7711 E. Academy Blvd.), is reason to dress up alongside veterans, active-duty Marines, and civic leaders for a formal dinner, music and the “time-honored ceremonial cake cutting.”
For gearheads, the event includes the official dedication of Wings Over the Rockies’ first Marine Corps aircraft, the AV-8B Harrier II+. Tickets: $125 per guest, with upgrades and group rates available. Proceeds support the museum’s nonprofit education in aviation and aerospace. wingsmuseum.org/events/marine-corps-birthday-ball.