This free, two day street fair brings back an almost forgotten art form that originated in Italy and was popular in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Italian street painters would travel from town to town creating beautiful paintings in the streets to commemorate holy days and festivals. They survived on coins thrown to them by appreciative audiences. Traditional Italian street painters were called Madonnari, because originally they recreated images of the Madonna.

The Denver Chalk Art Festival features several professional Madonnari, as well as other artists who come out to create their first pavement chalk drawings. Artists create their street visions as performance art, with audience participation and viewing part of the experience. These ephemeral paintings will vanish with weather and street traffic, but that’s part of the appeal of the art.

The festival features six professional, award-winning madonnari, live music, a wine pavilion and the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design Youth Challenge, where groups of students compete for prizes. There is also a kids area where the little ones can create their own street masterpieces.

Saturday, June 4^th, 10 am to 10 pm, Sunday June 5^th, 10 am to 7pm, Larimer Square, downtown Denver.

This “Things to Do in Denver” tip is offered by Southeast Auto Body, your Denver collision repair shop, conveniently located in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

For most people, walking 10,000 steps is the equivalent of walking about 5 miles, or about an hour or more of steady walking per day. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends walking 30 to 60 minutes a day to achieve health benefits from walking. For weight loss, make sure you get 4000 to 6000 steps in an uninterrupted walk per day, and a total of about 10,000 steps a day.

Pedometers are a great motivational tool. Try one to see how many steps you log.  Start recording how many steps you take during your normal day to day activities, as well as when walking for fitness. Every 2000 to 2500 steps equals about a mile, and burns roughly 100 calories for a 150 pound person.

Find a list of Douglas County trails here, and log those steps to fitness!

How to Check Your Car’s Hoses for Damage

First, make sure the engine is cool before you look for hose damage. DO NOT work on hoses if the car is even slightly warm. If the hose cracks or worse yet, bursts, you could be showered with scalding water or antifreeze.

When your car is cool, check for hard brittle hoses or soft ‘sticky’ hoses. Inspect for bulges, weak areas, cracks and frayed ends. If you find any of these problems, replace the hose. Automobile hoses often deteriorate from within, so if you see any visible signs of damage, it’s time to replace them.

Next look at the hose clamps. Loose radiator clamps can cause coolant to leak. If the hose is damp or wet near the clamps, replace the clamp. A bit of advanced preparation can save you from dangerous, time-consuming and costly roadside emergency repairs.

While you’re checking the hoses in your car, you may want to look at the belts, too. Here is information on when to replace your car’s belts, from Southeast Auto Body, your metro Denver auto body repair shop.

The concert season kicks off on Sunday, June 5^th with soft-rock band Ambrosia. The 2011 concert lineup features Peter Frampton, Loverboy, 38 Special, Richard Marx, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Under a Blood Red Sky: U2 Tribute, Super Diamond: Neil Diamond Tribute, the Stylistics and Vertical Horizon. Celebrate the 4^th of July with the Guess Who on July 3^rd and Poco on July 4^th, both followed by a fireworks display. Ticket prices range from $15 to $46, with discounts for Hudson Garden members.

Concerts begin at 6:30 pm. For ticket and other information, visit the Hudson Gardens website. Find other things to do in Denver on the Southeast Auto Body blog.

Watch the news, read newspapers or magazines, surf the ‘net – it seems like everywhere we turn, we’re hearing about vitamin D deficiencies in Americans. Is this the health concern du jour, or is all the hype something we should pay attention to? Why are hearing so much about vitamin D deficiencies?

News coverage of vitamin D deficiencies come from data in the federal government’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which indicated that in 2004, only 23% of those surveyed had sufficient levels of vitamin D. That number is down from 45% a decade earlier.

What can I do to increase my Vitamin D levels?

Exposure to sunlight is the most natural way to get vitamin D, but because of the harmful effects to the skin and the fact that busy schedules prevent many of us from spending a lot of time outdoors, we often can’t rely on sunlight to provide all of our vitamin D needs. Make sure you’re eating a variety of foods that are good sources of vitamin D such as fish, milk, eggs and cod liver oil. Vitamin D doesn’t occur naturally in very many foods, but there are a multitude of vitamin D enriched foods available today. Read labels to find foods for your family with added vitamin D in them.

Benefits of Vitamin D

* Aids in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, helping form and maintain strong bones and teeth

* Helps lower blood pressure, reduces stress and tension

* Regulates blood sugar levels, protecting against type 1 and type 2 diabetes

* Anti-inflammatory

* Essential to a healthy immune system, vitamin D helps fight infections

* Relieves aches and pains by reducing muscle spasms

* Helps relieve depression

If you’re curious or concerned about your vitamin D levels, consult your physician for screenings and medical guidance.

Have you encountered new craters (or smaller potholes)? Southeast Auto Body has compiled a list of phone numbers and websites for Denver and the surrounding counties where you can report potholes. You’ll also find driving tips on how to avoid potholes.

If you’re one of the many who accidentally hit a pothole, here’s information on how to check your car for possible damage, and when to have it repaired by a professional. If in doubt, call Southeast Auto Body (303.771.0440), conveniently located in Highlands Ranch and serving the entire metro Denver area. We’ll answer your questions and help you determine if you need to bring your car in for repairs.

The good news is summer is right around the corner and we’re seeing the last round of car damage from potholes. Before you know it, we’ll be back to planning our summer road trips!

This is your chance to meet local farmers and producers and find out how your food is grown. Choose from a vast selection of freshly picked fruits and vegetables, packed with flavor. Locally grown food not only tastes better, but has less environmental impact – less shipping and fewer preservatives than mass-produced foods. Buying from local farmers supports your community, helps farmers stay in business and preserves local farmlands.

Here’s a list of several Denver area farmers markets, including the Highlands Ranch Farmers’ Market.

Visit the Highlands Ranch Farmers’ Market, 2988 Dorchester St., Highlands Ranch, CO, Sundays, M – October, 10 am – 2pm.

Crunches are a great exercise to strengthen abdominals, but core muscle exercises involve more than just abs. They involve many different muscles that run the entire length of the torso and help stabilize the spine and create back support.

Benefits of strong core muscles:

* Balance

* Good posture

* Improved sports performance

* Reduces back pain

Many core muscle exercises can be done at home with no special equipment. Find instructions for the plank, the bridge, the bicycle crunch and other core exercises online. There are also many good videos on YouTube and other websites. Pilates classes offer excellent core strengthening exercises, and there are several pilates studios in Highlands Ranch and the metro Denver area.

Radiator fluid is also called antifreeze or coolant. Whatever you call it, it’s essential to make sure your car has the correct amount as we move towards the high temperatures of summer in the Denver area. If it’s low, your engine can overheat, causing extensive engine damage.

When checking coolant levels, you need to check your radiator and the overflow reservoir. Before checking either, make sure your engine and radiator are cool. An easy way to tell is to feel the radiator hose. If it’s hot, wait until you can comfortable touch it before attempting to unscrew your radiator cap. When you begin to take the radiator cap off, if you feel pressure or fluid leaks out, the radiator is still hot. Wait until its cool, then open it by pushing the cap down and twisting it off. If you don’t see fluid, add it until you see it. Pour some in, let it settle, then check again.

Next, fill overflow reservoir. Look for the minimum and maximum fluid level marks on the side, and fill above the minimum level but don’t fill it completely to the top. When the radiator is hot, a valve opens to let excess fluid into the reservoir. Conversely, if radiator fluid is low, coolant is siphoned back to the radiator from the reservoir. When you’re finished, start your car and watch temperature gauge. If it indicates a hot engine, recheck your radiator fluid.

There are two types of engine coolant, a 50/50 pre-diluted solution or undiluted coolant. The premixed solution can be poured right in the radiator or reservoir. The undiluted formula will need to be mixed with distilled water according to package directions.

While you’re working on the radiator, it’s a good time to check your radiator hoses. If they’re cracked, bulging or don’t have a secure fit where they clamp on, it’s time to replace them.

Now go out and enjoy summer driving!

But did you know that scenes from ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’, ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’, ‘City Slickers’, ’Die Hard 2’ and many more movies feature scenes filmed at Denver or Colorado landmarks? Take a look at this list of some of the movies, TV shows and mini-series filmed in Colorado, presented by the Office of Film Television and Media. How many of them did you know were made in Colorado? Next time you’re on a road trip, stop by the places where your favorite movies were made!