When you live in a landlocked state like Colorado, it’s probably a safe bet that you don’t really think of pirates all that often. I mean, why would you? They live on those big bodies of water that are hundreds of miles away from us.  

And yet, Pirate Fest has become one of Northglenn’s biggest events of the year and is back bigger than ever on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 16, at EB Rains, Jr. Memorial Park, 11701 Community Center Drive in Northglenn.  

The free event has been split into two portions — Pirate Night on Friday and Pirate Fest on Saturday.  

Pirate Night — 5-10 p.m. Sept. 15

• This component is geared towards those 18 years old and older and will include live music, a mermaid encounter, dinner, the crowning of the “Pirate King,” and plenty of adult beverages.  

• The live music schedule for the evening is:  5-6 p.m. — Big Paddy ;  6:30-7:45 p.m. — Chancers Hooley ;  8:15-10 p.m. — The McDeviants 

According to provided information, costumes will be encouraged and the best dressed will be invited to participate in a costume contest for prizes.  

Pirate Fest — 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Sept. 16  

• This family-friendly portion is the main event and features all kinds of fun ways to spend the day. For the children, there will be bounce houses, arts and crafts, contests, treasure hunts and maybe even a mermaid or two.

• For the adults, attendees can participate in shanty singing, cardboard boat watching (or racing), beverages and food and much more. The cardboard regatta portion of the festivities begin at 2 p.m., followed by awards when the races are complete.  

• The live music schedule for the day is:11 a.m.-noon – nera fiddler Duo ;  12:30-2 p.m. – The Commoners ;  2:30-4 p.m. — Celtic Chaos ;  4:30-6 p.m. — Angus Mohr 

All the details, including parking and FAQs, can be found at www.thepiratefest.com.  

Rendezvous at The Fort with Tesoro Cultural Center 

For the 21^st year, the Tesoro Cultural Center is hosting the Rendezvous at  The Fort, 19192 Highway 8 in Morrison, on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and 17. 

According to provided information, the annual event allows Tesoro the opportunity to host award-winning artists, professional historical interpreters and musicians, in an effort to recognize the far western mountaineers and American Indians of the fur trade from the Bent’s Old Fort era. The weekend will feature a range of activities, including ceremonial song and dance demonstrations, historical storytelling, scavenger hunts, animal education and much more.  

For all the necessary information, visitwww.TesoroCulturalCenter.org. 

Chicken dance your way over to Colfax Chicken Fest 

West Colfax is well-known for its unique events, and that streak continues with the Colfax Chicken Fest. The free, family-friendly party is from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 40 West Arts, 1560 Teller St. in Lakewood. 

The event honors the HUB Building, which was once a Denver Drumstick restaurant, where diners could chow down on boxcar chicken dinners. Now the HUB will host everything from live music to chicken-inspired contests and art activities to Drumstick 40 West Gallery exhibitions and chicken food trucks.  

All the info you need on this delightful event can be found at https://40westarts.org. 

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Arctic Monkeys at Red Rocks 

Back in 2013, England’s Arctic Monkeys  looked like they were the last proper rock band around, thanks to the smashing success of “AM,” an album that did all the things a stadium rock record should and did them beautifully. In the two ensuing albums, including’s last year’s beautiful “The Car,” the group has jettisoned the whole stadium star thing in favor of searching sci-fi and moody orchestral epics. Doesn’t get more rock star than that.  

In support of “The Car,” Arctic Monkeys are playing Red Rocks, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway in Morrison, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18 with Fontaines DC. That was an amazing sentence to write and I hope you take it seriously and get tickets at www.ticketmaster.com. 

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.