A curated weekly roundup of the most interesting events and happenings in the Aurora metro region. Got an occasion worth featuring? Send it to news@sentinelcolorado.com.
Zoom Aurora Library Murder Mystery: The Murder on the Train
5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Sept. 26 Free, visit the Aurora Public Library Facebook page for more information.
If you need more excitement in your life after months on end stuck inside, you’re invited to participate in Aurora Public Library’s virtual murder mystery. Travel back to the winter of 1933 to join the passengers of the Simpleton-Orient Express, who are traveling through Austria as they experience a shocking murder. Whodunit? Hercule Poirot isn’t on hand so it’s up to you and your compatriots to find out. Each participant will be given a role and a script, and will work together over Zoom to hunt down the killer. Costumes are encouraged, so bust out your finest 1930s garb. Think of it as a dry run for your Halloween costume — not like you’ll be going to any parties this year. Register online at bit.ly/APLMurderMystery, those under 18 must receive parental permission.
Music Bingo at Dry Dock
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 29. Dry Dock South, 15120 E. Hampden Ave. Free. Visit the Dry Dock Facebook page for more information.
Stop, children, what’s that sound? You bet your bottom dollar it’s music, and it’s bingo at Dry Dock Brewing Company on East Hampden Avenue. From Buffalo Springfield to Devo to Edie Brickell to Outkast, the crew at the Redding-DeLange space has tunes for everyone to enjoy. And, hey, the swill isn’t so bad either. Just be careful: It can be easy to toss ‘em back while banging along to Nirvana or belting alongside your favorite Whitney Houston track. It’s free to play, and prizes are provided. What more could ask for? Nothing. That’s right, nothing. In this time of pestilence, beer and music and more than welcome balms.
‘Tomfoolery’ at The Aurora Fox
7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 and 26; 2 p.m. Sept. 27, The Aurora Fox, 9900 E. Colfax. Ave. Tickets start at $28 for adults. Visit the Fox Facebook page or aurorafoxartscenter.org for additional ticket information and pricing.
Well, here we go. After a nearly six-month break, the crew at the Aurora Fox will has become one of the very few theaters across the country — not just the metroplex — to step back into the dramatic fray with its staging of “Tomfoolery.” The zany revue marks the start of the East Colfax theater’s 36th season, and it’s grand experiment into theater in the COVID era. The show features the works of famed satirist Tom Lehrer, a sardonic funnyman known for his acerbic responses to the culture of the 1950s and 1960s. While theaters in New York and London — and just across Yosemite Street in Denver — remain largely shuttered, we’re excited to see Aurora on the forefront of the new normal. We few, we happy few.
Princess and the Evolution outdoor concert at the Wine Experience Cafe
6 p.m. Sept. 26 6240 S. Main St. Suites 114 & 115
Live music has been hard to come by this year, so don’t miss this chance to see Princess and the Evolution and Material Girl perform at the Wine Experience Cafe Saturday evening. The Prince and Madonna tribute bands will be serving up the classics, which you can enjoy while availing yourself of the cafe’s extensive wine menu (they serve food too, if you’re looking for a more well-rounded evening). Space may be limited due to social distancing guidelines and reservations are encouraged. Visit wineexperiencecafe.com for more information.
Outdoor Movie Night – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Sept. 25 Autism Community Store 14095 E. Exposition Ave. Visit the Autism Community Store Facebook page for more information.
Transport yourself to a galaxy far, far away with the outdoor movie on offer this Friday from the Autism Community Store. The first of the most recent Star Wars trilogy created after Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, The Force Awakens follows a new cast of heroes as they forge their destinies, fight the dark side, and meet some familiar faces (RIP Carrie Fisher). Is the movie a brilliant addition to the Star Wars canon? Or is it a cynical money-grab from Disney? You’ll have to decide for yourself. Either way, we could all use some escapism this year. And hey, at least we don’t have to worry about getting attacked by space-fascists. Yet.
Glow Painting Event: I Put a Spell on You
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Sept. 25 Painting with a Twist 14132 E. Cedar Ave. $39-$45 per ticket, visit Painting with a Twist’s Facebook page for more information.
I put a spell on you…you better stop the things you do — unless what you’re doing is painting a glow-in-the-dark masterpiece at Painting with a Twist’s happy hour this Friday. The painting will be created under blacklight and is the perfect opportunity to create some spooooky Halloween-themed decor for your home this fall. Participants can purchase tickets to make their painting on a canvas or a wood plank board, which cost $39 and $45 respectively. Snacks and $3 happy hour drinks are available for purchase. Buy tickets at paintingwithatwist.com.
Punkin Chunkin Live Stream
Sept. 26 2 p.m. – Sept. 27 11 p.m. Visit the Soft Music Everywhere Facebook page for more.
Nothing says good, clean, old-fashioned fall fun like watching the spherical orange gourds we all know and love get catapulted, slingshotted, cannonballed, trebucheted and otherwise hurled through the air. Besides tasting delicious in your pie and coffee these vegetables are aerodynamic as hell, with one pumpkin flying almost a mile in 2015. In true 2020 fashion, the event is being live streamed this year. Along with lowering your risk of contracting COVID-19, this also lowers the chances of getting brained with a piece of falling pumpkin or splattered by goopy entrails. Go to bit.ly/3coNGEh for more.
Peak of Southlands
Sept. 25 12 p.m. – Sept. 26 6 p.m. Southlands 6155 Main St. Suite 260. For more information visit the Southlands Facebook page.
Southlands mall is holding a grand opening for its new town square and guest services center, with plenty of offerings on tap all weekend. The kickoff is a laser light show Friday evening, with ticket proceeds going to the Aurora YMCA. During the day the opening will feature a mini chalk art festival, a sidewalk craft market, tulip planting and fitness demonstrations. Guests can get scratch cards in the hope of winning prizes including a Playstation and an iPad mini, and those who spend $25 or more at select Southlands restaurants can get a $25 gift card. Get more information at shopsouthlands.com.
Strings at Stanley
7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Sept. 25, 4 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. & 7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Sept. 26 Stanley Marketplace 2501 Dallas St. $25 tickets, visit the Stanley Marketplace Facebook page for more information.
The Denver Philharmonic Orchestra will be holding its first socially-distanced performance this weekend at The Field at Stanley Marketplace. Conductor Lawrence Golan will lead the audience through a range of classical pieces, including Edvard Grieg’s baroque Holberg Suite and Motzart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The Orchestra will perform the world premiere of Christopher Marshall’s Threnody, “one composer’s empathetic response to racial injustice and our country’s collective pain as we continue to see brutality against our Black, Indigenous and neighbors of color.” It’s fitting it will be performed for the first time in Aurora, a city rocked by protests over the death of Elijah McClain, a violinist himself.
Audience members are invited to bring picnic blankets or camping chairs, and can avail themselves of the marketplace’s myriad food and beverage vendors. General admission is $25, kids 12 and under are free. There will be no intermission.