Fresh City Life Blog

I really hope you'll come to our Harvest Days cooking demo this Saturday. It will be the largest and most spectacular demo we've ever hosted. Chef Shellie sent me a note this morning to remind me what she'd be preparing -- pickled beets, beet green and walnut pesto and roasted Kohlrabi with Parmesan Cheese...Yummm! And, yes, she is making enough for you to try it, too!

There are 2 opportunities to join in on a book discussion this week:

Between the Covers at Ross-Cherry Creek will discuss In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin on Tuesday, July 19 at 2:00 p.m.

Testa hosts a top-rated morning radio show, speaks to schools and professional organizations all over the country, writes the best-selling Galahad book series for young adults, and oversees the non-profit educational foundation The Big Brain Club. He has won numerous awards for his writing and his radio program. The latest book in the Galahad Series is The Dark Zone. Books will be available for sale and signing.

If you're at a loose end this weekend, Fresh City Life has a couple events for you.

Explore space at the family-friendly A Whole New World: Dawn at Vesta event on Saturday, July 16 at 11:00 a.m. at the Schlessman Family Branch. NASA's Dawn spacecraft will arrive at asteroid Vesta this month. Learn about the faster than fast ion engine literally propelling the mission, science instrumentation, and how Dawn will contribute to our understanding of the Solar System.

The Denver Post writer Bill Husted once opined, and I paraphrase, -- in Denver, everything is six degrees of Vivienne VaVoom (aka Michelle Baldwin). I take that to mean that if you want to be near the sizzle and sparkle of the culture quake in Denver, then Vivienne VaVoom is your epicenter.

The term Christmas in July can be traced to Southern hemisphere celebrations -- for countries that celebrate Christmas but where the winter months fall around July. In the U.S., sponsoring a Christmas in July celebration became popular at summer camps for children in the 1920s and 30s. But it took a Hollywood film directed by Preston Sturges to turn the phrase into a part of the vernacular of the common people.

There are offerings for whatever you want to learn this week through Fresh City Life My Branch! Hungry? Try Picnic Foods tonight, July 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Schlessman. Learn to liven up your picnics or hikes with dishes that everyone will love! Recipes and samples included! Or maybe you're thinking of changing the way you eat.

A lot of actors, musicians and even politicians have played the name game -- changing up their name for something more befitting someone whose star is destined to rise. Hollywood movie star Joan Crawford built a formidable career after the studio held a contest in which fans got to choose a new name for starlet Lucille LeSueur. It's very possible Barry Manilow found it easier to write the songs that make the whole world sing after he legally left Barry Alan Pincus behind. John Denver may have felt Henry John Deutschendorf was bumming his Rocky Mountain High.

It's true: Grant Family Farms is bringing two share boxes of veggies to our cooking demo "What the hell is this?" -- and you could take one home. Eligibility? Just be in the audience! And Chef Kark is making Lettuce Wraps and Red Curry for you to sample.
Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center, 1:30 p.m.