🌈 Boulder's Jeff & Paige get their own PBS show + 42 things to do

This week’s Culture Club is sponsored by Fempire Comedy Festival, featuring women comics from across the country. Get tickets and save 50% with code EARLYBIRD.

Hi there, Boulder, and welcome back to Culture Club! It’s Thursday, Oct. 8. I’m McKenzie, here with your weekly guide to arts, culture and things to do across Boulder County.

For two decades, Boulder’s Jeff & Paige have helped kids discover the natural world through playful songs, science and live performances. Now, the musical duo has their own Rocky Mountain PBS show, “Rainbow Socks.” Filmed in Boulder County, it brings their familiar mix of music and outdoor exploration to television and ends each episode by encouraging kids to turn off the screen and go outside. In this week’s Spotlight, we talk with them about bringing their work to TV and inspiring a new audience of young explorers.

Looking to get out yourself this weekend? The Open Studios Tour continues, with 160 artist studios to visit throughout Boulder County.

Plus: three standout picks, dozens of things to do across Boulder County, regional book awards for three Boulder authors and a CU Boulder talk with “Threshold” host Amy Martin (sponsored).

As always, you can submit your own event and check out more offerings on our community calendar.

See you out there,

McKenzie

Come support women in comedy! Fempire Comedy Festival is happening this month, featuring comics from all across the country. Come laugh and support women in comedy and the arts! Save 50% with online promo code “EARLYBIRD.” Tickets are available now.

1. “FLESH” by Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet

Saturday, Oct. 10-Sunday, Oct. 11 • 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday • Dairy Arts Center (2590 Walnut St.)

“FLESH,” choreographed by Robert Sher-Machherndl and performed by Jane Mumford, is a rigorous exploration of movement. Following its Boulder premiere, Lemon Sponge Cake will take the production on an international tour, including a performance in Vienna, Austria.

2. Firefly Handmade Market

Saturday, Oct. 10-Sunday, Oct. 11 • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. • Pearl Street Mall

Sponsored by the Downtown Boulder Partnership, the Firefly Handmade Market brings more than 80 artists, makers and designers to the Pearl Street Mall for a weekend of fall shopping.

3. Jazzetry

Saturday, Oct. 10 • 6:30-8 p.m. • Trident Booksellers & Cafe (940 Pearl St.)

Von Disco provides the musical backing while local poets, including Colorado poet laureate Crisosto Apache, perform their work live on the back patio at Trident Booksellers & Cafe.

After 20 years of entertaining Boulder kids, Jeff & Paige have their own PBS show

Rainbow Socks brings the duo’s music, science and love of nature to television, with Boulder County as its backdrop. Continue reading…

Talking Turtles and Singing Ice: An evening with Amy Martin (sponsored)

Celebrate the Center for Environmental Journalism’s 30th anniversary with Amy Martin, Peabody Award-winning audio journalist and host of the “Threshold” podcast, for the Ackland Lecture in Environmental Journalism. Through stories from the field, Martin explores how listening to the more-than-human world can reconnect us with our planet — and one another.

The event is Wednesday, Oct. 28, at CASE Chancellor’s Hall & Auditorium at CU Boulder. A reception runs from 6-7:30 p.m., followed by the lecture from 7:30-9 p.m.

Boulder authors take home regional book awards

Boulder-based science journalist Hillary Rosner won the Colorado Book Award in general nonfiction for her book, “Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World.” Boulder-based authors Stephen Graham Jones and Erika Krouse also won High Plains Book Awards. Jones won the fiction category for “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter,” and Krouse won the short story category for “Save Me, Stranger.”

Earlier this summer, BRL interviewed Krouse about “Save Me, Stranger” and the role the Front Range plays in her writing life. You can read that here.

Bring your art to Boulder’s Sundance debut — apply by Friday

Boulder County Arts Alliance, in partnership with Community Foundation Boulder County and the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Culture, is inviting local artists and arts organizations to apply for funding through Boulder Flipsides (formerly called Boulder B-Sides). The new pop-up art program will bring art to vacant commercial storefronts and unexpected spaces throughout Boulder during the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 9. Find details and apply here.

Looking for more to do? Explore our community calendar for dozens more events happening around Boulder. It’s free to browse and free to post. Many of the events featured in Culture Club come from the calendar, so be sure to add yours.

Visual Arts & Literature

Thursday, Oct. 8, 5-7 p.m.: Fireside Ink hosts an in-depth workshop on genre fiction. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Oct. 9, 4:30-6:30 p.m.: PARTiculars Gallery in Lafayette hosts a reception for its 6×6 Community Show. [free] [all ages]
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2-4 p.m.: Artist Casandra Chalfant leads a hands-on collage workshop inspired by her exhibition, “Eternal Return,” at the NoBo Bus Stop Gallery. [free] [all ages]
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2-4:45 p.m.: Beyond Academia Free Skool hosts its monthly poetry class in the style of a Socratic seminar at the Boulder Public Library. [free] [adult-oriented]
Monday, Oct. 12, 4-5:30 p.m.: Social Stitchers is a relaxed crafting circle at the NoBo Library. [free] [all ages]
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m.: Author Steven Winkelstein discusses his new book, “The Day God Got Amnesia: a Divine Comedy,” at Boulder Book Store. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6-7 p.m.: The Romance Section in Boulder hosts Queer Romance Book Club, featuring “Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas. [free] [adult-oriented]

Theater, Dance & Film

Thursday, Oct. 8, 7:30-9 p.m.: Local Theater Company presents “Drag Queen Magic” at the Dairy Arts Center. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Oct. 9, 7-8:30 p.m.: Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company presents “The Weir,” a haunting Irish play about storytelling and connection. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Saturday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.: “Piggy Duster,” a film about a stepfather and daughter attempting to repair their relationship on a camping trip, screens at the Dairy Arts Center. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Sunday, Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m.: Jesters Dinner Theatre presents “Deathtrap,” a comic thriller about a washed-up playwright and a murder plot. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Monday, Oct. 12, 7:30-9:30 p.m.: Jesters Dinner Theatre presents the Mel Brooks musical “The Producers.” [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.: Local Theater Company presents Improv for Non-Performers with Mary Quinn at the Dairy Arts Center. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]

Music & Nightlife

Thursday, Oct. 8, 7-9:30 p.m.: eTown Hall hosts a live radio show taping featuring The Deslondes and Bonnie Paine. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.: Ars Nova, a Boulder-based a cappella chamber choir, launches its 41st season with “Rivers & Streams,” performed at Mountain View United Methodist Church. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Saturday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.-midnight: KGNU hosts its annual Grateful Dead Rare Tape Special in its new downtown Boulder home. [free] [adult-oriented]
Sunday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.: The Longmont All-Star Jazz Band is joined by guest Brazilian guitarist Gabriel Santiago. [ticketed] [all ages]
Monday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.: Geordie Greep plays at the Fox Theatre. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.: Spyro Gyra performs its signature blend of jazz, fusion and world sounds at the Boulder Theater. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Dog House Music Studios in Lafayette hosts its monthly songwriters meetup. [free] [all ages]

Food & Drink

Thursday, Oct. 8, 4-6 p.m.: The Longmont Museum hosts a French beading class with wine and snacks available for purchase. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Oct. 9, all day: Bootstrap Brewing celebrates Leif Erikson Day: Customers who dress like Vikings get $1 off pints. [free] [adult-oriented]
Saturday, Oct. 10, noon-2 p.m.: “The Longest Table” is a community meal where neighbors share food and conversation along a table on Highland Ave. [free] [all ages]
Sunday, Oct. 11, 3-6 p.m.: St. Vrain Cidery hosts a plant-themed bingo experience. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.: Tuesday night is poker night at Dillinger’s Bar & Grill in Lafayette. [free] [adult-oriented]
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6-9 p.m.: “A Bite of Boulder: Vol. 2” launches with tastings, drinks, chefs and prizes at Rosetta Hall. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]

Outdoors & Recreation

Thursday, Oct. 8, 2:30 p.m.: A local horticulturist leads an hour-long tree tour at Chautauqua, covering the history and variety of trees in the area. [free, registration required] [all ages]
Friday, Oct. 9, 7-9 p.m.: The Lafayette Skate Jam is an outdoor skate jam with DJ sets, live music and a food truck. [free] [teen-oriented]
Saturday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.: The Eldora Mountain Ski and Snowboard Club hosts its annual outdoor gear and sample sale at the Avalon. [ticketed] [all ages]
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2-4 p.m.: Two forest scientists lead an easy two-hour walk through a national forest parcel slated for fuels reduction near Gold Hill. [free] [adult-oriented]
Monday, Oct. 12, 9-11:30 a.m.: The City of Boulder hosts a bike tour of the city’s capital improvements program. [free] [adult-oriented]
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Dealt Social, Boulder’s new mahjong parlor, celebrates its opening with a launch party at Lagroove. [free] [adult-oriented]

Family & Community

Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn participates in a North Boulder Town Hall open to local residents. [free] [all ages]
Friday, Oct. 9, 4:30-6:30 p.m.: The Collective in Lafayette hosts a workshop on making paper catrinas, a traditional Día de los Muertos craft. [free, registration required] [all ages]
Saturday, Oct. 10, 9-11 a.m.: The Lafayette Fire Department hosts Touch-a-Truck for curious kids and their families. [free] [family-friendly]
Sunday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m.-noon: The MAD LIBrarians bring their improvised kids’ show to the Dairy Arts Center. [ticketed] [family-friendly]
Monday, Oct. 12, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.: Growing Gardens hosts daylong farm classes for children on school days off. [ticketed] [children ages 5-11]
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6:30-9:30 p.m.: Speed Dating Beyond the Small Talk is for open-minded singles at Unity of Boulder. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Wednesday, Oct. 14, noon-1:30 p.m.: Boulder Reporting Lab and KGNU host a lunchtime mayoral candidate debate at KGNU’s downtown headquarters. [free] [adult-oriented]

Know about an exhibit, concert, festival or creative person we should feature? Reply to this email or submit it here. Culture Club exists to help people discover what’s happening across Boulder County, and we’d love your ideas. Thanks for reading, and if you make it out to something fun this weekend, let us know.

🌈 Boulder’s Jeff & Paige get their own PBS show + 42 things to do