5280 Dines, the annual celebration of the 25 Best Restaurants list in the upcoming edition of 5280 magazine, has a new approach this year with a progressive strolling dinner with a different menu and featured beast at each of four Frank Bonanno restaurants on Seventh and Grant: pig, duck, tuna and lamb paired with the food will be cocktails and wine.

The strolling soiree takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday with stops at Bones, Luca d’ Italia, Vesper Lounge and Mizuna, which will close to the general public to host an event with the liquor licenses extended allowing guests to sip beverages as they dine around the block. In addition, guest chefs will be on site to help prepare accompaniments.

Guests also will hear music from the Colorado Symphony and enjoy the company of some of Denver’s best chefs.

Amanda Faison, 5280″ food editor who’s poured her taste buds into picking the metro-area’s best eateries, said the event’s new format was Bonanno’s idea.

“We weren’t looking for a new format but at last year’s party, Frank Bonanno mentioned it might be fun to, someday, throw a party by combining the four Bonanno restaurants on Seventh Avenue and Grant Street,” Faison said. “The real hook for us was the idea of a progressive/strolling dinner party at multiple restaurants. There’s really no other restaurateur/chef who could offer such a venue. We simply hope that the party will be a celebration of our very exciting ever-changing local dining.”

There are a few tickets left for this outdoor evening soiree are $125 and will support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Colorado-Wyoming Chapter. Tickets and more info: www.5280.com/5280dines.

The 1830s was the decade of the mountain men and women, who made their living in the west through fur trapping and trading.

Walk among the re-creators from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Tesoro Cultural Center’s annual 1830s Rendezvous & Spanish Colonial Art Market at The Fort Restaurant, 19192 Colorado 8, Morrison.

Attendees will interact with the mountain men and women to discover a culture of storytelling and barter – from buckskins and trade silver to flintlock guns and beaver skin hats. Learn to throw a tomahawk, engage the kids with crafts and an old-fashioned taffy pull and check out the concessions. All proceeds benefit Tesoro’s educational programs.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information about Tesoro Cultural Center, visit www.tesoroculturalcenter.org.

A diverse group of dancers, musicians, and artists is coming together to put on an all-original production called “Gyaan … Truth Through Knowledge”, with performances on Saturday and Sunday at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Pkwy.

Inspired by a string of tragic events like the Aurora theater shooting, a Delhi rape case, the Sandy Hook shooting and the Sikh Temple shooting, “Gyaan” asks the question: How many tragic events have to unfold before we are numb to the pain? Through the universal language of dance and music, “Gyaan” shows an East Indian perspective on overcoming tragedy and loss.

The first half of the show features a live ensemble of 10 musicians, the poet laureate of Aurora Jovan Mays and aerial dancers soaring above the audience.

Tickets are available online at www.lakewood.org/tickets or over the phone at 303-987-7845. Mudra Dance studio, a 501(c)(3) non-profit Indian dance studio and school, has been an integral part of the Colorado arts community for more than 20 years. For more information about “Gyaan” or Mudra Dance Studio go to www.mudradancestudio.us/gyaan or call 303-288-0351.

Celebrated chef Kelly Liken, of Restaurant Kelly Liken in Vail, took home the win Tuesday during the Esquire Network’s “Knife Fight, the original series and cooking competition.

The “Battle Colorado” face-off  had Liken head-to-head with fellow Colorado chef Steve Redzikowski, of Oak at Fourteenth. Excerpts from the episode included a cut on Liken’s hand before she turned out two dishes that embody the essence of her culinary point of view at her restaurant.

Secret ingredients for the competition were beef heart, live Santa Barbara spot prawns and wild dandelion greens that the competitors turned into dishes presented to judges.

The two dishes that earned Liken the win and bragging rights included a beef heart tartare served with dandelion greens and a Southeast Asian style shrimp broth that featured all three ingredients.

“I was proud to represent Colorado,” Liken said. “Steve brought a great game and it was a lot of fun to cook in such a exciting setting.”

Eavesdropping on a senior citizen retrieving a book he left at a gate at DIA: “I’m old, so I can do stuff like this and get away with it.”

I know there are fall fanatics out there who are prepping their sweaters, leggings and boots for the season we just stepped into.

To help further pump you up for autumn, the Colorado Tourism Office has compiled places to see and things to do when leaves turn and the thermometer dips.

Below are a few ideas to inspire you to fall for fall in Colorado. For more information, visit www.Colorado.com.

For the adventurer:

Hike to Crater Lake, Aspen. The Maroon Bells in Aspen are known as the most photographed peaks in Colorado. All of the hikes near the Maroon Bells provide breathtaking views, but a local favorite is the hike to Crater Lake, especially during the fall as the trail wanders through a thick aspen forest where the changing leaves will not disappoint. The hike is 3.6 miles round trip and ends at Crater Lake.

Bike the Mineral Belt Trail in Leadville. Take a ride on the 11.6-mile Mineral Belt Trail that loops around the city of Leadville. Wildflower meadows, conifer forests and aspen groves lit up in fall colors make for a bike ride with plenty of photo ops. Also stop to see the many historical sites in Leadville along the way, which includes remnants of the city’s mining history.

For the family:

Explore a corn maze at the Frederika Fall Festival in Avondale. Through Oct. 31, the Frederika Fall Festival welcomes visitors to its 10-acre Colorado corn maze with 3.5 miles of trails. The maze is located on a 75-acre, multi-generation farm. Visit on Halloween for pumpkin decorating, a costume contest and trick-or-treating with the kids. Throughout the fall, you can launch pumpkins with a sling-shot for the pumpkin fling.

Pick a pumpkin at Tigges Farm in Greeley. This fall, head to Tigges Farm, a family run farm since 1935, and choose the perfect pumpkin to carve. From August through October the family friendly farm will also showcase some of the original equipment used to till the land at the Tigges Farm Equipment Museum. Check out the produce stand that offers Colorado fresh produce including roasted chilies, tomatoes, sweet corn, melons and onions.

For the foodie:

Savor the season at Lyons Farmette in Lyons. At the eastern edge of the town of Lyons, the Lyons Farmette offers many farm-to-table dinners throughout the season. The farm also offers classes and workshops on topics ranging from how to keep bees to how to brew beer or make cheese from chefs and agriculture experts from the Front Range community.

For the ghost hunter:

Get scared on Banjo Billy’s Ghost Tour in Boulder and Denver. The cities of Boulder and Denver are often known for the stunning mountain views and active beer scene, but most don’t know about the ghosts that haunt the streets of both places. Banjo Billy’s Bus Tours offer ghost tours beginning in October, with historians and legend-keepers who will share the haunting stories of the ghosts in the shadows. The bus passes by haunted mansions and streets where mysterious sights and sounds can often be heard.

Find frights in the Haunted Mines in Colorado Springs. Ever had to endure a death defying descent into the depths of a mine? At the Haunted Mines, this is just one of the ways to get spooked. Through Nov. 1, come to the one-of-a kind outdoor/indoor haunted house attraction on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Visitors will crawl for their lives to escape out of a vent shaft and explore their way through the maze of tunnels, wondering if they’ll ever get out. There is no shortage of spookiness at these mines.

For the leaf peeper:

Ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the highest and longest authentic steam-powered narrow-gauge railroad in the United States. With the amount of rainfall over the summer, the railroad is expecting this fall to be one of the best yet. The train starts out in terrain resembling the old west, and continues into the San Juan Mountains with lush aspen groves turned red, orange and gold.

Drive Kebler Pass in Crested Butte. One of the most famous drives for leaf peeping is the drive on Kebler Pass to Marble and the Crystal River Valley as the drive is home to the largest aspen grove in the United States. Head north on Whiterock Avenue out of Crested Butte and continue on this road as it turns into County Road 12. One of the best places to stop and take in the views is across from Horse Ranch Park. This stop offers breathtaking views of the scenic landscapes of the Anthracite Mountain Range.

Girl Scouts of Colorado will honor the 2014 Denver metro-area Women of Distinction during the Thin Mint Dinner, starting at 5:15 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, 1550 Court Place. They are:

• Marcy Benson, community volunteer;
• Kelly Brough, president and CEO, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce;
• Denise S. Maes, public policy director, ACLU of Colorado;
• The Honorable Ramona E. Martinez, retired member Denver City Council;
• Gloria Neal, CBS4 reporter;
• Kathy Nesbitt, executive director for the Department of Personnel and Administration, State of Colorado;
• Cindy Parsons, vice president of public relations and communications, Comcast;
• Maruca Salazar, executive director, Museo de las Americas;
• Janice Sinden, chief of staff, Office of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock;
• Debbie Welle-Powell, vice president Accountable Health and Payer Strategies, SCL Health System.

These women were selected by their peers and chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally.

Girl Scouts of Colorado honors top women leaders in our community as Girl Scout Women of Distinction. These women have reached remarkable levels of achievement as business, community and civic leaders. Girl Scouts of Colorado engages Women of Distinction in ongoing Girl Scout activities and programs designed to build the next generation of leaders. Since 1997, nearly 400 women have been named as Denver metro-area Women of Distinction and raised more than $2 million for Girl Scouts of Colorado.

The keynote address will be given by former 9News traffic and weather reporter Amelia Earhart, who recently completed the around-the-world flight of her namesake.

The event chairs are 2009 Woman of Distinction Leanna Clark, vice chancellor of University Communications for the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, and 2003 Woman of Distinction Patty Fontneau, president of Cigna’s Private Exchange Business. 2014 Women of Distinction selection chair is 2006 Woman of Distinction Tamra Ward.

For more information on attending the event, contact Heidi Books at 303-607-4833 or heidi.books@gscolorado.org.

Armida’s Karaoke, 840 Lincoln St., one of Denver’s most popular venues for wannabe singers, invites patrons to toast its 20th years of service with an anniversary party from Thursday through Sunday.

Twenty years ago, Fausto and Armida Corral, a hard-working couple who moved from Mexico to the U.S. in 1974, opened Armida’s Restaurant with a commitment of serving quality Mexican food. What initially started as a Mexican restaurant became a popular award-winning karaoke bar.

Twenty years later, Armida’s Karaoke continues to attract people with a passion for singing. The restaurant is open seven days a week.

“My parents’ hard work and determination led the road to a successful family restaurant business,” said the Corral’s daughter, Laisa, who manages and operates the business. “Our family remains committed to the high standards set up by my parents. I am proud to carry on this legacy.”

In commemoration of its 20th anniversary, and in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, Armida’s Karaoke will feature a special menu, with Pacifico on tap and its street taco. There will be specials and give-aways, sweepstakes and the grand prize trip to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico and, of course, lots of karaoke.

In addition, Armida’s Karaoke is also celebrating its milestone anniversary with a new logo that signifies its growth and transformation, and celebrates its 20-year history.

To find out more about the eligibility to win the prizes during the anniversary celebration and for more information about Armida’s Karaoke, go to www.armidas-karaoke.com.

Uncorked Denver invites you to a Tour of South America with Highly Rated Vino Del Sol Portfolio from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, 707 15th St.

Tickets are available through advance purchase at www.uncorkeddenver-sa-ruthschris.eventbrite.com.

The event includes:

• Ninety point-plus Vino Del Sol Portfolio with a selection from each winery and seven wineries in Chile and Argentina.
• Meet Scott Thomasen, Ruth’s Chris regional manager.
• Food pairings from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
• Wines and food pairings are posted at: www.uncorkeddenver-sa-ruthschris.eventbrite.com
• Restaurant Week menu extended for attendees.  Check out the deal at www.ruthschris.com.

Although these events are not singles events, they attract more women than men, so guys are encouraged to sign up.