Native American Crafts Offered at Denver Market

Colorado

The Colorado Indian Market, Jan. 14 to 16 at Currigan Hall in Denver, brings together more than 300 artists and craftspeople from 40 states, offering jewelry, beadwork, pottery and more. The big attraction for collectors is that they can buy directly from the artists, who are on hand for the show. Also planned: continual entertainment including several Indian dance groups, a wild bird show, an old-fashioned medicine show and activities for kids. For more information, contact Texas Indian Markets, 4205 Kingston Road, Amarillo, TX 79109; telephone (806) 355-1610.

Florida

The theme of this year’s Art Deco Weekend Festival, Jan. 10 to 16 in Miami Beach, is “Paris 1925/Miami Beach 2000--75 Years of Art Deco.” The most popular event is always the Ocean Drive Street Festival, with more than 100 dealers in vintage jewelry, clothing, furniture of the Deco years and live entertainers serenading shoppers. Lecture topics include: Miami Beach on film and TV, Greta Garbo, Josephine Baker and “The Androgynous Dandy.” For more information, contact the Miami Design Preservation League, P.O. Box 190180, Miami Beach, FL 33119-0189; tel. (305) 672-2014.

Nevada

The 16th annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Jan. 22 to 29 in Elko, promises “incessant rhymes,” great hats and boots, singing, dancing and big steaks. Cowboy poets include Baxter Black, Waddie Mitchell, Joni Harms and Paul Zarzyski. Other events include a Basque beef cooking workshop, rawhide braiding and fancy knot demos, swing dance workshops and “My Cowboy’s Gift,” a play about a rancher performed entirely in poetry and song. Advance tickets and lodging reservations are recommended. For more information, contact the Western Folklife Center, 501 Railroad St., Elko, NV 89801; tel. (888) 880-5885.

Vermont

The Stowe Winter Carnival, Jan. 26 to 30, offers five days of classic winter fun for the whole family. For skiers, there’s the Stowe-Sugarbush race on Spruce Peak and a cross-country ski race. For those looking for less traditional activities, there’s snow golf and snow volleyball. Also planned: children’s events, a snowshoe race and a chicken pot pie supper at the community church. For more information, contact the Stowe Area Assn., P.O. Box 1320, Stowe, VT 05672; tel. (802) 253-7321.

Australia

Australia Day, Jan. 26, marks the 212th anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet, which carried the first white settlers--770 prisoners--from Britain to Sydney. The event is celebrated all over the country. Major cities (including Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne) and most smaller towns will have fireworks, concerts, family entertainments and citizenship ceremonies. Events in Brisbane include a cockroach race. For more information, contact the Australian Tourist Commission, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 1920, Los Angeles, CA 90067; tel. (800) 433-2877.

Mexico

Jan. 17 is the feast day of San Antonio Abad, the patron saint of domestic animals, and all over Mexico, churches hold a blessing-of-the-animals ceremony. These are colorful, photo-op festivities, with flower-bedecked cows, dogs and odd pets standing in line with their owners for a sprinkling of holy water. The two best places to see this in the Mexico City area are at the Church of San Antonio and at Xochimilco, south of the city. For more information, contact the Mexican Government Tourism Office, Mexican Consulate, 2401 W. 6th St., 5th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057; tel. (213) 351-2069.

Monaco

The 24th International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo, from Jan. 20 to 27, brings together circuses from 15 countries, including China, Russia, Germany, Canada and France. Performers compete for prizes handed out by a jury presided over by Prince Rainier III. There’s the “Octopus Man” from Romania, and a Korean trapeze artist who will attempt two triple flips in quick succession. Gran Circo Mundial, Spain’s largest circus, will present 15 white tigers. For more information, contact the Monaco Government Tourist Office, 565 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017; tel. (800) 753-9696.