Early Season Kayaking
Photo by Richard Luckin
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Monday, Apr. 21st
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Golden History Tours
- 8AM - Municipal Court Criminal Arraignments
- 10:15-10:45AM - Let's Dance - Registration Required
- 12-12:30PM - Mondays with the Mayor
- 12-4PM - Earth Month Happy Hour with Denver Urban Gardens
- 5:30PM - Board Game & Euchre Night
- 5:30-7PM - Downtown Development Authority Meeting
- 5:30-7:30PM - The Fundamental Principles of Art
- 6-9PM - Teach Me to Play! Mondays
- 6:30PM - Movement Monday Running Club
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
What's in bloom along Golden’s trails? Sun Sedge!
Figure 1. Sun Sedge — Carex inops L.H. Bailey ssp. heliophila (Mack.) Crins — along the Cottonwood Canyon Trail on North Table Mountain. Inset: flowers of Sun Sedge (Credit: Tom Erler, no rights reserved).
By Tom Schweich
Last week I wrote about American plum, a large shrub that you can see and smell a mile away when it is in bloom. This week let’s talk about something you must get down on your hands and knees just to see. It’s called “Sun Sedge” and has a long scientific name of Carex inops L.H. Bailey ssp. heliophila (Mack.) Crins. (“ssp.” means subspecies.)
This small, early blooming sedge is only 4 to 6 inches tall, but can be found throughout Golden’s open spaces, typically in open places where it can get a good start before the taller plants. It is often found in full sun and can tolerate some dryness. It spreads slowly by rhizomes (underground stems).
Its scientific name — Carex inops L.H. Bailey ssp. heliophila (Mack.) Crins — is very descriptive. “Carex” is an ancient Latin name for a sedge (not a grass); “inops” says it is small in Latin; and “heliophila” says it is a friend of the sun in Greek.
The flowers of sun sedge are not showy, although botanists who study sedges may disagree with me. Sedges are wind-pollinated, so the flowers do not have bright-colored petals or produce nectar to attract insects. In the inset above, there are staminate (male) flowers with cream-colored anthers, above pistillate (female) flowers with feathery white stigmas.
Sun sedge occurs across the entire prairie region of North America, from central Manitoba, Illinois, and Missouri to northern New Mexico, the Front Range of Colorado, and the Peace River District of eastern British Columbia.
As small as it is, sun sedge can be a dominant species in a number of ecosystems, such as many grasslands. What this little sedge lacks in size, it makes up for in sheer numbers of plants. On the prairies it is codominant with grasses such as western wheatgrass, big and little bluestem, needle-and-thread grass and other needlegrasses, and the various grama grasses.
Many types of animals consume this plant. It is considered a good forage for livestock because it is one of the first green plants to appear in the spring and animals such as cattle find it palatable. When we stayed at the goat farm near Buena Vista, I was very curious to see which meadow plants the goats preferred. I was surprised to see they would seek out and eat the sedges before eating the grasses.
In the garden, sun sedge spreads slowly, but is not invasive, and forms a low grass-like turf. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find sun sedge in the nursery trade.
5:30PM Downtown Development Authority Meeting @ City Hall
- Meeting Agenda
- Watch the meeting streaming live starting at 5:30PM
- Attend the meeting @ City Hall Council Chambers - 911 10th Street - (map)
- Send comments on any of the following topics to dda@cityofgolden.net
- Provide in-person comment during the meeting, at 5:30PM.
Tonight's Topics:
The DDA will hear a report about downtown "wayfinding" (directional signs). The information is not available for review prior to the meeting.
Staff will report on several projects that DDA intends to support.
- Ford Street Trail Underpass - DDA will contribute at least $125K this year, possibly as much as $250K.
- East Zone Amenities - DDA will contribute $125K this year.
- Ford/Jackson at 14th Bike/Ped Improvements - $80K if they start construction this year.
- Jackson Street Redesign - Up to $200K, possibly not this year.
- A "Cultural Plaza" in the parking lot behind the Old Capitol Grill and Miners Saloon. City Council has declined this project a couple of times, so those who want to pursue it are talking to the Golden Civic Foundation.
The Jefferson County Assessor has informed the DDA of an error, causing the County to overpay tax increment revenue. Staff is waiting to learn how much.
The DDA may help fund upgrades in electrical power to the Farmer's Market lot and Parfet Park.
Grants
So far this year, DDA has provided business grants to
- Foothills Art Center ($4,318)
- 1418 Ford St. ($3,483)
- the Look What I Found Boutique ($537)
- Abeja's Bistro (3,650)
They have $130,000 budgeted for grants this year.
In addition, they have committed
- $375,000 for an expansion of the Golden Welcome Center
- $312,500 for Miners Alley Performing Arts Center Phase 2
- $180,000 for Foothills Art Center
- $1 million to contribute to City Projects
12-4PM Earth Month Happy Hour with Denver Urban Gardens @ Golden Mill
Join The Golden Mill and Denver Urban Gardens for an Earth Month Happy Hour. DUG team members will also be handing out seeds, shwag, and educational materials.
A portion of the proceeds from all food and drink, all day will support Denver Urban Gardens and their network of community spaces in Golden and throughout the Front Range.
Location:
Golden Mill
1012 Ford Street (Map)
When:
12-4PM on Monday, Apr. 21st
Golden History: Pistol-Packin' Postal Employees
104 Years Ago
The April 21, 1921 Colorado Transcript announced that Golden post office employees were soon to be armed.
…with a view to protecting the mail against robbery. A supply of revolvers holsters, belts and ammunition has been sent to the office, and probably will be received this week. The mail messenger will also be armed. Government employees will not be required to secure state, county or municipal permits to carry firearms while on duty. The action of the post office department is taken in view of the frequent mail robberies, and is designed to protect the mails and safeguard lives of postal employees.
This was such an unexpected story that I tried researching why the need had arisen. Deep in the heart of the U. S. postal service website, I found a list of “On This Day in Postal History” events. It said:
April 9, 1921: Postmaster General Will Hays issued Order No. 5668, which armed “all essential postal employees” to combat a rash of mail robberies. Fifty thousand guns and two million rounds of ammunition were issued to railway mail clerks and other employees who handled valuable mail.
Further research showed that there was a nationwide rash of robberies underway at the time. Postal employees on trains were sometimes armed, but most robberies took place in local post offices–which is why the Postmaster General thought the clerks should be armed.
Golden History: I was so wrong!
The corrected site of the North Side Garage
Click to enlarge
Last week I wrote about the North Side Garage, and used a present-day aerial photo by Patrick Klein to show where it had been located.
Greg Poulos demonstrated that he was paying attention and asked if I wasn't off by a block. I was! Thursday's photo showed the garage north of 8th Street instead of south. Thanks, Greg!
Weather
Overnight: Mostly cloudy. Low around 39, with temperatures rising to around 42 overnight. West wind around 7 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. West southwest wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy. Low around 40, with temperatures rising to around 42 overnight. West wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Monday Night: Partly Cloudy, 40°F
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers, 66°F
Tuesday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 44°F
Wednesday: Partly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers, 68°F
Wednesday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy, 45°F
Thursday: Rain Showers Likely, 62°F
Thursday Night: Showers And Thunderstorms Likely, 44°F
Friday: Chance Rain Showers, 56°F
Friday Night: Chance Rain Showers, 45°F
Saturday: Partly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers, 69°F
Saturday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 45°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 69°F
News About Golden - April 21, 2025
9-quilt exhibit created in 1995 by Japanese women revived this month at quilt museum in Golden
By Elaine Tassy
CPR News
Inside what initially seems like a well-appointed quilt shop with bolts of fabrics and quilt-making equipment are a few rooms devoted to the museum-quality display of quilts.
It’s there that, on April 21, a nine-quilt exhibit created 30 years ago will go on display... Read more...
Supporters
Many thanks to the people and organizations who support What’s Happening in Golden? If you would like to support local news, please CLICK HERE!
Sponsors:
($100/month and up)
Buffalo Rose, Buglet Solar, Foothills Art Center, Golden City Brewery, Golden Cultural Alliance, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Miners Saloon, Golden Hayride Outpost, Unite Fitness, Joy Brandt, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, and the Colorado Railroad Museum
Friends:
($50-99.99/month or $550/yr)
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Goozell Yogurt & Coffee Paul Haseman, Donna Anderson, Carol & Doug Harwood, Beth Bidwell, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Mary & Don Parker, Saré Merrigan, The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, and Vic DeMaria
Supporters:
($25-49.99/month or $250/yr)
Laura King and Scott Wilson, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Forrest Jones, Barry & Liz Bettis, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, Rick Flint, Forrest Jones, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Stephen Pero, Meg Van Ness & Steve Kalasz, Steve & Karla Schaefer, Bud Rockhill, Steve Enger, Kristie Brice & Mike Schwartz, The Golden Hotel, and Kurt & Janet Siegfried
Members:
($10-24.99/month or $110/yr)
Brad Miller & Julie Bartos, Holly Thomas, Jim and LouAnne Dale, Ann Pattison, Thomas Hoffman, Carol Abel, Brian Quarnstrom, Sandra Curran, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Kathy Smith, Karen Smith, Carlos & Nancy Bernal, Robert Storrs, Michele Sannes, Elaine Marolla, Dixie Termin & Ron Miller, E Tom Hughes, Crystal M Culbert, Patrick A. Madison, Alice Madison & Jim Kalivas, Deb Goeldner, Christopher Ball, 6th Chair Home Services, Dot & Eric Brownson, Rosemary Coffman, Emeline Paulson, Sandy Schneider, Mark and Cathy Pattridge, Cheryl G Leidich, Jen Rutter, Frani R Bickart, Jennings and Litz, Bill Sedgeley, Nancy Hughes, Justin L Wade, Kathi Eggers, Traci Case, Donna Owen, Leslie D Lutz, Karen Oxman, Catherine Skokan, Ross Fraser & KC Gilliland, Lynne Haigh, Elizabeth Hilliard, Frank Young & Terre Deegan-Young, Kathy Hirons & Jack Markin, Jess & Anthony Monasterio, Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch, Heather Duncan, Lee Ann & Pete Horneck, Carol Cameron, Cheryl Williamson, San Daugherty, Jim Garner, John and Carol McEncroe, the Golden Welcome Center, the Golden Transcript, Koshare Eagle, Ken and Colleen Krantz, Traci Neuman Lacey, Jo Barber, Jamie Cookinham, Kermit Shields, Meridee Cecil, Vicki Olson, Colleen & Michael Ramey, Nancy & Pete Torpey, Jax Baker, Simon Maybury, Rose McLaughlin, Cameron Chambers, Joyce Gravina, Patrick Klein, Barb Robie, and Mary Rains
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser, Mel Perkins, Bob Hamilton
