Things to Do in Lakewood

Gayle Lynne first took to the sky when she was 53, and was instantly hooked. Her dancing and ice-skating experience hadn’t prepared her for the joys of careening through the air on silks and hoops, but she quickly picked up on the skills, and was inspired to create a studio in which adults and children of all ages could also explore the sky. So Aerial Dance Over Denver was born, hosting air-borne maneuvers with 35 rigging points and seven aerial stations.

Gayle handpicked a fleet of experienced instructors, each primed with a background in dance, to lead students through classes and camps that introduce them to silk fabrics, trapeze work, and contortions—in which patrons increase their flexibility and learn to cram into small spaces, such as an unsuspecting family member's lunch box. Dangling from their material of choice, students perform a routine that builds strength and flexibility, scaled to suit beginners with slow and low maneuvers or veteran airborne artists with high-flying choreography.

• For $15, you get a canvas-painting class for kids (a $30 value). • For $50, you get a four-week pottery-wheel class for kids or adults (a $99 value). • For $10, you get $20 worth of drop-in art projects.

Martin Percival starred in the principal role for Michael Flatley's North America–touring Lord of the Dance and played the original Flatley role of "the lord." This knight in tights and his lovely team of jig-jumping instructors will lay down the law of rhythm and greens with beginner-level dances like the reel and light jig.

• For $35, you get a 10-class punch card for any child or teen dance classes (a $150 value). • For $35, you get a 10-class punch card for adult Zumba classes (a $75 value).

Over the course of two decades, the glint of gemstones, polished beads, glass pearls, and sterling-silver chains on the shelves at Desert Gems have inspired countless crafters to create their own personalized jewelry. The shop's veteran staff leads workshops for novice and advanced beaders that cover foundational beading techniques, as well as leather- and wire-wrapping and advanced bead stitching. Between its stock of glass pearls and Turkish beads, Desert Gems carves out a third of the space in its store for rocks, minerals, carvings, and alien-crafted obelisks gathered from around the world.

At Butts Rental, Inc., chainsaws and lawn mowers purr in the lot, punctuated by the cold hiss of filling propane tanks. The selection of rental equipment helps in the completion of home projects with dollies, floor polishers, and other tools from brands including John Deere. Party planners wander among rental chairs and ice tubs as well as popcorn machines, which help feed guests and give a nervous Robocop somebody to talk to.