Halloween Drag Queen Storytime with Miss Shirley

Drag storytime became a political football in Colorado, which is exactly why it matters that the largest arts center in the north metro is running one on Halloween morning and charging nothing for it. Miss Shirley, a drag performer who works the children’s entertainment circuit, reads picture books including Perfectly Norman and Be Who You Are, then opens the floor for a segment the Arvada Center bills as Ask the Drag Queen.

The Arvada Center programs this one with Jefferson County Public Library, and it runs in Ballrooms B through D rather than the Main Stage, which keeps it close and conversational instead of theatrical. Costumes are encouraged, with crafts, photos with Miss Shirley and the occasional impromptu number filling out the hour.

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Prop weapons are the one hard no: no toy swords, guns or wands. It is free with an RSVP through the Arvada Center site, and the center at 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard has a large free lot, so the practical cost of a Halloween morning here is gas and a parking walk.