Will a martini bring out your inner artist? Find out during Martini e Colore, featuring cocktails, painting and fun – part of The Palm Denver’s Patio Tasting Series – from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 inside The Westin Denver Downtown at Arapahoe and the 16th Street Mall.

Whether you like it dry, dirty, shaken or stirred, there’s no denying the martini’s popularity. come celebrate this famous concoction with commemorative martini glasses designed by you. Create a one-of-a-kind design for you and that special someone.

Chef Marco Ramirez will prepare appetizers paired with cocktails. Cost is $65 per person. RSVP to Jennefer Weeks at 303-825-1810 or email her a jweeks@thepalm.com.

Susie Wargin, former 9News sportscaster, picking up her real estate signs at RMD Signs in Englewood Tuesday for her booming business with RE/MAX.

Eavesdropping on two employees at an Englewood business: “I hear today is National Coffee Day.”

“Yep, and Wednesday will be National Insomnia Day.”

Tracks, one of Denver’s original GLBT nightclubs at 3500 Walnut St., celebrated 35 years in business Saturday with a public party.

Andrew Feinstein, who bought into the business five years ago with co-founder Martin Chernoff, is a second-generation owner after Feinstein’s father was Chernoff’s original business partner in 1980.

I recently asked Feinstein to reflect on the club’s challenges and success over the 35 years

“Most nightclubs don’t last 35 weeks, never mind 35 years,” Feinstein said. “It means that we’ve been very fortunate to have a loyal and dedicated customer base that has stood by us all these years and embraced the many changes we’ve undergone along the way.”

Tracks originally opened to serve as an after-hours club across the street from The Fox Hole, which Chernoff had been running since the mid-1970s. Eventually Tracks opened during regular nighttime hours from 9 p.m. to close. In 1984, the partners opened another Tracks in Washington, D.C., and in 1987 expanded the concept to New York City and Tampa, Fla.

After Tracks Denver closed in the late 1990s, Chernoff relocated the club to 35th and Walnut – a neighborhood at the time referred to as “Upper Larimer”, and reopened in 2002. Several years later, “Upper Larimer” morphed into “RiNo” (River North) and Tracks added the EXDO Event Center adjacent to the nightclub.

In such a transitional neighborhood, Feinstein has seen so many changes – good and bad.

“We certainly cannot compete with the nostalgia that comes with the ‘old Tracks’, but the new Tracks is fully equipped with preeminent sound, light and video technology, including the largest indoor LED wall in Denver and the ability to produce 3D projection mapping in-house, which we unveiled at Halloween two years ago,” Feinstein said. “We also recognize that the modern day Tracks customer has a lot more choices (both at home and out and about) than they did in the 1980s, so we have to continue to develop new promotions that give our customers a reason to get off the couch and party with us. An example of this is our monthly ROLL roller disco promotion, during which we convert Tracks and EXDO into a retro roller disco and karaoke lounge every third Friday of the month. Another example is our monthly Drag Nation show which has become the country’s largest drag production outside of Las Vegas.”

As to the future of the venues?

“We’re always looking for ways to innovate, both with our technology and our promotions,” Feinstein said. “But having just remodeled the venue this past spring with our new LED wall, sound and light packages we’re pretty happy with what we have to offer our customers right now.”

EXDO is known for throwing some major parties in town, but perhaps the most spectacular was during the 2008Democratic National Convention.

“(The coolest party) has to be the One Campaign party during the 2008 Democratic National Convention during which both Jamie Foxx and Kanye West performed live in EXDO,” Feinstein said. “The following night we hosted the Google/Vanity Fair party during the DNC and the room was packed with Hollywood celebrities. And quite recently, we had ‘NSYNC’s Lance Bass show up to honor Tracks co-founder Chernoff after he received an Ally Award from One Colorado for his lifetime’s worth of contribution to the GLBT community.”

To keep up with Tracks and EXDO, go to www.facebook.com/events/1659148880988556/ or www.tracksdenver.com.

Denver Startup Week, the largest free entrepreneurial event of its kind in North America, returns to Downtown Denver for a fourth year from today through Friday. Denver Startup Week, aimed at growing a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Denver, will feature more than 215 programs geared toward the entire entrepreneurial community.

Events span networking sessions, mentor hours, workshops, leadership spotlights and panel presentations that collectively will attract up to 10,000 people who are looking to start or grow their business in Denver.

The week begins with a Kick-off Breakfast highlighting five of Denver’s successful “homegrown” entrepreneurs, including:

• Eric Roza, senior vice president, Oracle Data Cloud
• Jim Deters, founder and CEO, Galvanize
• Jacqueline Ros, founder and CEO, Revolar
• Jenna Walker and Katie Thurmes, co-founders, Artifact Uprising

The breakfast will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m. today at the Seawell Ballroom.

Denver’s reputation as one of the best places to start and grow a business has once again attracted notable speakers and startup experts such as Marcus Lemonis of CNBC’s The Profit; Dag Kittlaus, co-founder of Siri; Edward Kim, CEO and co-founder of Gusto (formerly ZenPayroll); Todd Tobin, co-founder and CTO of Craftsy; Seth Levine of Rally Software and Pledge 1% and Brad Feld of Techstars and The Foundry Group.

Denver Startup Week is organized by the Denver Startup Week Organizing Committee and co-led by Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, Erik Mitisek, CEO of the Colorado Technology Association and Ben Deda, executive vice president of marketing and business development at Galvanize. Highlights of the more than 215 events that showcase the diverse faces and industries of startup businesses in Denver include:

• Building the Active Lifestyle Industry – Highlighting Denver as the top place for active living and featuring local makers in the emerging, active lifestyle marketplace (and winners of Chase Mission Main Street Grants) Mike Maloney (KOTA Longboards) and Will Montague (Guerilla Gravity).

Tuesday 4 to 5:30 p.m., InkMonstr (2721 W. Holden Place)

• Startup Job Fair – Connecting talented job seekers with the best Denver-based startups and growth-mode companies.

Tuesday 6 to 10 p.m., Buell Theatre Lobby (1400 Curtis St.)
Women Who Startup Summit – Celebrating, connecting and empowering women entrepreneurs and supporting diversity in technology.

Tuesday 6 to 9 p.m., Galvanize Golden Triangle (1062 Delaware St.)

• Entrepreneurial Veterans – Representatives from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, and Colorado-based Patriot Bootcamp and Skill Distillery, the first and only coding boot camp to accept GI Bill benefits, will focus on how men and women in the U.S. military can transition to startup success.

Tuesday noon to 1 p.m., Basecamp, launched by Chase (16^th and Arapahoe St.)

• Denver Founders Panel – VIP founders from some of the biggest companies in the area will explore hyper-growth and focus on scalability and what they would have done differently.

Wednesday 6 to 9 p.m., Chambers Grant Salon (1101 13^th St.)

• TechCrunch Meetup and Pitch Off – TechCrunch comes to Denver for the first time to hold their internationally-recognized competition featuring 10 startup companies all competing to exhibit in Startup Alley at TechCrunch events in London or New York.

Thursday 6 to 10 p.m., Galvanize Platte Street (1644 Platte St.)

• Startup Farmers Market – Denver, renowned for its food scene, is one of the best places to launch a food-based startup. The popular Startup Farmers Market will close-out Denver Startup Week and include companies like Real Dill hand-crafted artisan pickles, 34degrees crisps and Dead Dog chocolate.

Friday 5:30 p.m., Basecamp, launched by Chase (16^th and Arapahoe St.)

In addition, significant funding resources will be awarded at several pitching and business plan competitions including the JumpStart Biz Plan Awards, where the Denver Office of Economic Development will award a grand prize of $30,000 of consulting services, and the Digital Health Challenge, where companies will culminate three months of work to vie for $150,000 in seed capital from the Colorado Health Foundation.

Back by popular demand, Basecamp launched by Chase returns as the hub and epicenter of Denver Startup Week. Basecamp, located on the first floor of 1515 Arapahoe St. (16^th and Arapahoe streets), will feature a line-up of entrepreneurs and innovators through keynote speakers, panels and mentoring sessions throughout the week. See the complete roster at www.denverstartupweek.com/basecamp.

Highlights of Basecamp’s free programming include:

• Keynote Speakers and Panels: The brightest minds in the startup world speak daily
• Leadership Series: An intimate look at high-profile leaders in the entrepreneurial community
• Mentoring Sessions: 20-minute one-on-one sessions with top entrepreneurs and business leaders between 2 to 4 p.m. daily

The National Tour of “A Christmas Story, The Musical,” premiering in Denver at The Buell Theatre December 16-27 is searching for one local child to perform an ensemble cast role when this beloved holiday classic is live on stage. The auditions will take place at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Education rehearsal studios (1101 13^th St.) at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“A Christmas Story, The Musical”  is looking for one talented dancer/singer to help bring this national treasure to the Buell Theatre. This opportunity will provide the child with real-life touring theater experience, as well as an understanding of what it’s like to be part of a professional company and a chance to learn choreography from the Dance Captain Brooke Martino.

“A Christmas Story, The Musical” chronicles young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker as he schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle (“You’ll shoot your eye out kid!”). An infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a double-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish. Chock-full of delightful songs and splashy production numbers,  following its hit Broadway run, has proudly taken its place as a perennial holiday classic for the whole family.

For the audition registration form, go to www.achristmasstoryontour.com/local-audition-info.

Audition requirements:

• The show is looking for a child with a love of theater and a strong stage presence.
• Children who audition need some dance training in order to learn the choreography.
• Children must be between 8 and 13 years old and between 4’5” and 4’10” tall.
• Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and audition space is limited.
• Children who plan to audition must the bring registration form and a photo to the audition (does not have to be a head shot).

For complete requirements and restrictions please visit www.AChristmasStoryOnTour.com.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Hard Rock Cafe Denver is uniting musicians, supporters and survivors in honor of the brand’s 16th annual PINKTOBER campaign. On Thursday, the Cafe will host a kick-off party with Slacker and Steve from ALICE 105.9, where 2015 American Idol winner Nick Fradiani will perform.

The event will benefit Susan G. Komen and Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and both organizations will be present to accept donations and answer questions. Additionally, guests can donate new or gently used bras to Slacker and Steve’s bra campaign, which utilizes the bras as a display banner at the party, as well as at various other October events.

Following the event, throughout the month of October, guests can support breast cancer research by visiting Hard Rock Cafe Denver and purchasing collectible pink merchandise, such as T-shirts and bracelets, and pink drinks, such as the non-alcoholic Wildberry Smoothie. Proceeds from PINKTOBER sales will benefit research and awareness-driving efforts for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, while all Hard Rock Cafe Denver events will support Susan G. Komen. 

Denver performance events include:

Friday: Coles Whalen Band at 10 p.m.

Oct. 9: Katey Laurel at 10 p.m.

Oct. 16: Two Way Crossing at 10 p.m.

Oct. 23: Post Paradise at 10 p.m.

Oct. 30: TBD

Former NBA superstar, current  ESPN analyst and Denver native Chauncey Billups staying at The Westin Riverfront Beaver Creek last week.

Eavesdropping on two women driving through Rockies and Oktoberfest traffic in LoDo: “You’re so impatient.”

“Yes, microwave ovens are too slow for me.”