Freak Train &#151 Sept. 26
Now’s your chance to get freaky…aboard the Freak Train. The last Monday of the month—every month—the Bug Theatre offers this unique open stage event, where area performers (from rank amateurs to seasoned pros) take over the stage for five minutes of freakiness. You never quite know what you’re gonna get, but it always draws standing-room crowds. Mon 7 p.m. The Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St. $5. For more info, visit www.bugtheatre.org.

Boulder Backroads Marathon and Half Marathon — Sept. 25
Runner’s World calls it the nation’s “best-kept marathon secret.” Sounds tempting—even for a marathon. Get out and join the hundreds of runners along this scenic, winding, and rural race north of the Boulder Reservoir. Sat 7 a.m. Boulder. For more info, visit www.boulderbackroads.com. To register, visit www.active.com.

Festival Italiano — Sept. 20-25
Ciao, Denver! For five days Denver celebrates the culture and flavor of everyone’s favorite boot-shaped country. Music from Rome. Wines from Tuscany. Flag throwers from Florence. Bocce ball, cinema, and pasta sauce. By the end of the week we’ll all be talking with our hands and smelling like basil. Tue-Sun. Times and locations vary. For more info and a complete schedule of events, visit www.belmarcolorado.com.

Cinema Exposition — Sept. 21-25
For the first time in Denver, The International Experimental Cinema Exposition (TIE) gathers filmmakers and film for its fifth global celebration of experimental moviemaking. This all-celluloid line-up includes more than 130 films that explore beyond the limits of contemporary screen culture. New films by Pete Tscherkassky Lewis Klahr, Martha Colburn; rarely seen films by Andy Warhol and Boyd Rice. Wed-Sun. Times and locations vary. For more info and for a complete schedule, visit www.experimentalcinema.org.