Love local music? Want to play with local artists? Check out THE Open Mic Night with Lobo and Sheryl at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1 at Stargazers Theatre, 10 S. Parkside Drive. Everyone who wants to participate should bring an instrument (piano provided) and be a part of the show. Tickets are $5, but that includes a $5 coupon for food or beverage good for this show only, so that makes it almost FREE. It’s also FREE to participating musicians. Want to know more? Call 476-2200 or go ONLINE.
It’s time to gather your favorite photographic memories for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s “Best of 2011 at Colorado State Parks” photo contest. Entrants who are 18 years of age or older are invited to submit their photos of people enjoying their favorite state parks in all seasons and all outdoor recreational activities. Categories for entry include: Best of Winter, Best of Spring/Summer and Best of Fall. Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2012. On Feb. 8, five finalists from each category will be announced and posted on Colorado State Parks Facebook page. The public will then get one week to vote for their favorite photo. The photos receiving the most votes in each category by Feb.15 will win. Contest winners in each category will receive a 2012 Colorado State Parks annual pass (a $70 value), which provides entrance to all 42 state park locations, and a $50 Cabela’s Gift Card, courtesy of The Foundation for Colorado State Parks. Winning photos will also be featured on the Colorado State Parks website and may also be used in various marketing and promotional activities. Photos must be taken at a Colorado State Park to qualify and all types of recreation are welcome, including people enjoying their favorite state park campsite, cabin or yurt. Photos will be judged on their content, composition, subject, relevance to Colorado State Parks, and originality. See complete Contest Rules and Conditions at http://www.parks.state.co.us/PhotoContest.
Get your classical music fix at a FREE concert schedulded at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 at Packard Hall, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St., on the Colorado College campus. Music faculty members performing during this recital include Paul Nagem on flute, Susan Grace on piano, and Gerald Miller on cello. They will perform works by Bach, Rorem, Previn, Piston and Devienne. Neither tickets nor reservations are required. Just go and enjoy!
Would you like to tap into your inner poet? Check out “At the Table with Poetry West” from 5 to 7 p.m. every Sunday at Poor Richards Bookstore, 320 N. Tejon St. This weekly poetry writing, reading and critiquing session is held every Sunday and is open to the public. It’s FREE. Presenters are by invitation only. Sponsored by Poetry West.
Looking for bargains on kids’ winter wear? Recess, a children’s consignment shop, is having its annual Winter Clearance Sale with 50 percent off throughout the store from now until they have made extra room in the store for spring arrivals! That’s half off on long sleeve shirts, sweaters, coats, boots, corduroy, winter style dresses, and more! Also check out the $2 Clearance Closet for real bargains. To find out more, go online to http://www.recessconsign.com/, Note: Recess will not be taking consignment appointments until Friday, Feb. 10, to have time to clear out winter items, re-organize, and re-merchandise.
The Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest for Children is underway. The theme for 2012 is “You Are Here Now: Poems of Place.” Where is your creative space? Where can you be yourself? Do you have a secret place? Some examples of poems of place are “The Swing,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, “Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost, or “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” by Shel Silverstein. You can find these poems and other poems of place at www.poets.org. The contest is open to all fourth- and fifth- graders in the Pikes Peak region. There is no entry fee. Six winners will each receive a prize of $25, a book, and a Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration poster. Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 18. For rules and submission information, go ONLINE.
It’s time to bring out your workout videos and DVDs to keep your New Year’s resolution of getting into shape. And while you have them out, bring those videos to a participating Fazoli’s restaurant in January to save $1 on every $5 purchase towards 500 Calories or Less entrees by bringing in your favorite workout video or DVD to a participating Fazoli’s restaurant. The Italian restaurant offers a number of 400- and 500-calories (or less) entrees. They include Chicken Mushroom Alfredo Bake, Three Cheese Baked Ravioli, Chicken Penne & Peppers, and Cherry Almond Chicken Chopped Salad. Other new items at participating locations include Tuscan Chicken Flatbread Pizza and Chicken Broccoli Florentine Flatbread Pizza. For more info, go ONLINE.
Cluck, cluck! Meet some of the friendliest chickens ever, hear amazing chicken tales, and make a gadget that sounds just like a chicken. Laura Foye brings her favorite birds for you to pet, and will entertain and inform you about these interesting barnyard animals. Here’s the schedule: Saturday, Jan. 28 at 10:30 a.m. – Ruth Holley Library; Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:30 p.m. –Briargate Library. And all events are FREE, as usual.
“Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever!” is coming to the Pikes Peak Center on Sunday, Feb. 5. Want to take the kids? Well, it can be pricey, but Pikes Peak on the Cheap subscribers can save $4 on each ticket by going through the group sales office and saying you want to be part of our group. Without the discount, tickets range from $19 to $30. With the discount, they’re $15-$26. That’s a savings of $12 for a family of four. (Plus, you save the $7 per ticket convenience fee that you’d spend if you bought the tickets from TicketsWest.) All children 2 and older require a ticket to enter. Discount is good on the 3:30 p.m. show only. To purchase these discounted tickets log on to: www.worldarena.com/group_sales. User name: Pikes Peak. Password: Cheap (case sensitive). Or call Whitney Gonzalez at 477-2116 to purchase tickets over the phone. Discount is not available at the box office or through TicketsWest. NOTE: Deadline to purchase discounted tickets is Jan. 27.
LivingSocial is a great savings source, now with daily deals available in Colorado Springs. It offers as much as 50-90 percent off on a service, restaurant, spa , store or event. All you have to do is sign up by clicking on the LIVING SOCIAL AD in the right-hand margin on this page. It’s FREE and you are under no obligation to buy anything. Each morning you’ll receive daily deals on services, family fun, travel and events. And if you spot a bargain you like, LivingSocial sends you a link to pass along to friends. If three buddies buy the same deal, yours is FREE. We’ve linked you directly to LivingSocial’s sign-up page using our affiliate link — again, YOU have to sign up yourself, we can’t do it for you — by going to the AD in the right hand margin of this page. Pikes Peak on the Cheap gets credit for telling you about these deals.
Need to brush up on your cooking techniques? Hey, Williams-Sonoma is here to help. Sign up for one of their FREE cooking classes before they’re all full. Williams-Sonoma Technique Classes teach fresh menu ideas, healthy recipes for family dinners, and both classic and new cooking techniques. Each class is dedicated to a specific culinary topic, such as cookware, tools or the best way to work with seasonal produce. Participants receive recipes, tastings of prepared dishes and a 10 percent savings on select same-day store purchases. Class size is limited so call to reserve a spot: 593-0261. Classes are held at 9 a.m. on Saturdays at the Briargate store. They include: Feb. 4, Big Bowl of Chili; Feb. 11, winter vegetables; Feb. 18, knife skills; and Feb. 25, fresh, fast pasta. Grab an apron and go!
Catch some Olympic action this weekend! This Saturday’s (Jan. 28) Kiki Cup will feature four international teams participating in Greco-Roman dual meet at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The teams competing include Italy, India, Spain and a mixed international team made up India, Greece and Slovenia. The international teams will compete against four different teams from the United States. The event will be webcast live on The Mat.com starting at 9 a.m. There will be eight rounds of competition throughout the day with the final dual meets starting at 5 p.m. Admission is FREE.
