The M in March
Photo by Carol Freza
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Saturday, Mar. 28th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Golden History Tours
- All day - Golden Sports
- 8AM - Saturday Morning Run and Social Walk
- 10AM-4PM - Mystery Flip Quilts
- 10AM-3PM - Brunch at the Rose
- 10AM-3PM - Saturday Train Rides
- 10:15-10:45AM - Family Time - Registration Required
- 11AM - Paul Bunyan - MAPAC Children's Theater
- 12PM - Retro Onesie Party!
- 1PM - Paul Bunyan - MAPAC Children's Theater
- 4-6PM - No Kings Protest
- 5-6:30PM - Golden American Legion Dinner
- 6:30-7:30PM - Soundbath
- 7:30PM - The Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
11AM and 7PM Paul Bunyan - MAPAC Children's Theater @ Miners Alley Performing Arts Center (FINAL PERFORMANCES)
Tall tales and heroic feats abound as we rediscover the stories of Paul Bunyan and his beloved Babe the Blue Ox and explore Americana through the stuff of legends! Tickets
Location:
Miners Alley Performing Arts Center
1103 Arapahoe Street (Map)
4-6PM No Kings Protest @ Washington Avenue
There will be a No Kings protest downtown this afternoon. Organizers are expecting about 3000 participants. Learn more.
Something to consider if you're participating: this could be a blow to the downtown businesses (similar to the power outage in December), so make an effort to patronize the businesses during your visit downtown.
Location:
Washington Avenue
Golden (Map)
7:30PM The Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War @ Miners Alley Performing Arts Center (FINAL WEEKEND)
The official night for this play is Friday the 20th, but you can get tickets for preview performances (for a substantial discount!) tonight or tomorrow at 2PM. Be the first on your block to see it!
We are delighted to bring you the regional premiere of a brand-new comedy by the same playwright who brought us our award-winning hit, A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN. Tensions flare when a forced-to-downsize Michigan matriarch and her grown children clash over everything from tofu to Toledo to goal posts to Gordon Lightfoot. It's a laugh-out-loud look at the battles we never outgrow, no matter how old we get. Tickets
Location:
Miners Alley Performing Arts Center
1100 Miners Alley (Map)
The Golden Word - 03/28/26
Live Music for Saturday, Mar. 28th
- 7PM Mr. Majestyk's 8 Track Revival @ Buffalo Rose (main venue)
- 5:30-8:30PM Jeff Kingery @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
- More Live Music
1PM The Rhythm Rockers @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom
6PM Jeff Goodwin and the Front Range Cowboys @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
6:30-8:30PM Cayden Pape @ Etta Jeanne
6:30-9:30PM The Ridgeliner's @ Goosetown Station
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: Illuminated Since 1887
Electric Poles on 15th Street, circa 1900 - enlarge
Click to enlarge
Golden has had electric power since 1887. M.T. Morrill was working as a schoolteacher in Georgetown in the 1880s, but was keenly interested in electrical power generation. As a sideline, he built the first electric light plant in Georgetown. When the time came for the City of Georgetown to contract for a larger scale plant, they gave the job to someone else.
Georgetown’s loss was Golden’s gain. Morrill moved his equipment to Golden in 1887 and persuaded our City Council to allow him to illuminate our streets. He and his wife both attended classes at the School of Mines to expand their engineering skills.
Upon receiving approval from the City in August of 1887, Morrill and his team immediately began sinking poles and stringing wires. By December of that year, we had lights on our principal streets and in some of the buildings. Opera House events became very bright, dazzling affairs.
Morrill’s firm was called the Golden Illuminating Company because at that time, “illuminating” was seen as the main job of a power company–there were few other uses for electricity in 1887. Rates were determined by “Candle Power” and time of day. Customers purchased their lamps, fixtures, and cords from the power company.
Within a few years, other uses began to develop. Golden had an “electric steam laundry,” which was located right at the power plant. The Transcript acquired electric presses and became one of the company’s biggest customers. One of the downtown merchants (Nick Koenig) acquired an electric cigar lighter and that was a focus point of his advertising for months to follow.
The plant ran on steam and so burned coal. The number and size of boilers increased as demand for electricity increased. Imagine having a coal-burning power station half a block east of Washington Avenue! Over the years, the possibility of using water power was discussed, but water was so precious that people didn’t like the idea of allowing anything to interfere with the flow of water to Golden. In about 1906, the Golden Illuminating Company began buying its power from a Denver firm and was able to stop generating it on Jackson St.
In 1903, the City renewed its contract with the Golden Illuminating Company, effectively granting Morrill a monopoly on electric lighting in the Golden area. The arrangement was mutually beneficial. With continuous equipment upgrades, the company was able to reduce the cost to consumers by 20% in 1907.
Morrill sold the company in 1915 and died two years later. He is buried in the Golden Cemetery.
Weather
Overnight: Partly cloudy. Low around 37, with temperatures rising to around 41 overnight. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Low around 50, with temperatures rising to around 54 overnight. West wind 8 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly Cloudy, 50°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny, 77°F
Sunday Night: Mostly Cloudy, 53°F
Monday: Mostly Sunny, 79°F
Monday Night: Chance Rain Showers, 45°F
Tuesday: Rain And Snow Showers Likely, 54°F
Tuesday Night: Rain Showers Likely, 35°F
Wednesday: Chance Rain Showers, 59°F
Wednesday Night: Chance Rain Showers then Partly Cloudy, 41°F
Thursday: Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers, 69°F
Thursday Night: Chance Rain Showers, 40°F
Friday: Chance Rain Showers, 57°F
News About Golden - March 28, 2026
Developers in Denver area braving an oversupplied office market
By Aldo Svaldi
Denver Post
Metro Denver continues to struggle with a huge surplus of office space, especially downtown, where the vacancy rate is approaching 40% and empty skyscrapers are selling for pennies on the dollar.
And while the excess supply has reduced the number of office towers, it hasn’t deterred five developers from adding nearly 600,000 square feet of new office space this year and early next, according to a report from CommercialCafe, which is part of the Yardi Research... 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 or $1,175/year)
Buffalo Rose, Buglet Battery, Foothills Art Center, Golden Cultural Alliance, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Miners Saloon , Unite Fitness, Clothilde Elingbow, Michael Mason, and Earth Sweet Boutique
Friends:
($50-99.99/month or $575/yr)
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Paul Haseman, Donna Anderson, Carol & Doug Harwood, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Mary & Don Parker, Saré Merrigan, The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Vic DeMaria, and Joy Brandt
Supporters:
($25-49.99/month or $285/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, Kurt & Janet Siegfried, Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch, Robert Thresher, Tonie Mattox, Centennial State Wealth Advisors, Steve & M.L. Richardson, Jeremy & Stephanie Keller, AC Development
Members:
($10-24.99/month or $115/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, 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, Richard Caldwell, Janice Waring, Sam & Marilyn Baron, Carmen Johnson, Mary Eiberger, Kevin Nichols, Ed & Carol Freza, Laura and Curtis Moore, Ruth Hund, Shelley & Jerry Devitt, Eileen Masterson, Kate Olivier, Amy Korengut, Pam Logan, Clare Shier, Wendy Weiman, Marge Frueh. Nannette Johnson, Edgar Walker, Bivy Beer Bar, Nancy Cooper, and Jane & Mike Templeton
Followers:
($5-9.99/month or $55/year)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser, Mel Perkins, Bob Hamilton, Steve Stevens, Vicki Olson, Emily Kurzinski, Nanette Johnson, Peyton Gibson, Sally Berger, Kristen Morgan, Joyce Sutton, Mary Rains, Craig Champlin, Stan Swisher, Bill Way, Chris Toney, and Alicia Zimmerman
