It’s my favorite month of the year; a month of thanks and giving and, well, Thanksgiving! From good eats to giving back, we’ve got it all covered in our November Guide to the Mile High.
🧑🍳 Take a Cooking Class
Up your feast game this Thanksgiving by taking a culinary class. Almost every local cooking school (and there are many) is offering a lineup of holiday-themed courses — like pies, sides, and autumn-inspired cocktails. But CSU Spur offers classes that are family-friendly and about half the price of the other options. *Chef’s kiss*
- Mark your cal: CSU Spur’s November classes include: Holiday Pies (Nov. 16), Apple Butter and Applesauce (Nov. 16), and Holiday Gourmet (Nov. 21)
🥧 Eat ALL the Pie
Perfecting hand-crafted, homemade pies since 1994, Granny Scott’s Pie Shop in Lakewood has it all: fruit pies, cream pies, meringue pies, savory pies, special holiday pies, and more. Not seeing your favorite on the menu? Just call Granny’s up and they’ll see what they can do. Order your pie piping hot for pickup or frozen for home-baking — enjoy!
👐 Hand Out Personal Care Kits
As temps turn cold, consider making and distributing personal care kits to your neighbors experiencing homelessness or financial hardship. Fill your care packages with personal hygiene items; hats, gloves, and blankets; or a gift card for a coffee or warm meal. You can go the DIY route, or volunteer with / donate to one of the many local organizations that coordinate care package drives all year round.
- Check out: Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Project Worthmore, or Denver Rescue Mission.
Experience all that Día de los Muertos has to offer at Muertos en Westwood this weekend. (FG Trade Latin / Getty Images)
🕯️ Celebrate Day of the Dead
The Westwood community’s annual Muertos en Westwood celebration is one of Denver’s most beloved homages to the sacred holiday. Running Nov. 1-3, the festival spans three days, complete with workshops, food, community ofrendas, and traditional dance and music performances. It is a free, family-friendly event!
🫘 Host a Chili Cook-Off
A steaming bowl of chili with all the fixin’s is a menu must-have this time of year, and there’s no better way to get your fix than with an old fashioned chili cook-off. Prefer to skip the kitchen labor? Find a community competition in need of some eager eaters and nom away.
- Upcoming cook-offs: Long Table Brewhouse (Nov. 2), Chili, Booze & Brews (Nov. 2), and Fiction Beer Co. (Nov. 9)
🫂 Help Welcome Newcomers
Serve as an ambassador for the beautiful city we call home while helping settle new families in the community. Casa de Paz specifically connects volunteers with families and individuals being released from Aurora’s immigration detention center to help guide them through what can often be an overwhelming life transition.
💛 Bring Holiday Cheer to Someone in Need
Colorado Palliative & Hospice Care is always accepting volunteers, but now more than ever as the holidays approach, a friendly face and warm companionship can go a long way. Play an instrument? Specialize in hair care? Work with a therapy animal? Use your talent to spread a little extra cheer this holiday season.
🌶️ Feed Your Nostalgia at Jack N Grill 2
An old Denver favorite is back! Jack Martinez Jr. is resurrecting his family’s once popular Jack N Grill, known for its New Mexico-style burgers and burritos. His parents closed up shop in 2018, but now Martinez is bringing back some familiar flavors with Jack N Grill 2, located inside Boombox Brewbar.
🪕 Tap Your Toes at BanjoFest
Whether you’re a banjo boss, just getting started on the strings, or simply enjoy a good toe-tappin’ tune, this event is for banjo fanatics of all types and skill levels. At Swallow Hill Music’s first-ever BanjoFest, you’ll find workshops, vendors, jam sessions, and live performances.
- Get your tickets: BanjoFest is Nov. 9 from 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Tickets start at $40.
