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What's Happening in Golden - Saturday, Oct. 3rd, 2026

News and events in Golden, Colorado. Saturday, Oct. 3rd, 2026

,   and  Barb Warden
11 min read
Click to enlarge

Morning Clouds Over Vanover

Photo by Jeremy Keller
Click to enlarge

What's happening in Golden today?

Events for Saturday, Oct. 3rd

Golden History Tours
Family Time - Registration Required
Good Night, Oscar

For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar

CSM Homecoming Weekend

Photo by Pat Madison

7-9AM – Homecoming 5K
8-10AM – Street Fair, Kafadar
9AM – Men’s and Women’s swimming & diving vs. Alumni, Natatorium
12pm – Mines Football vs. Black Hills State, Marv Kay Stadium
6-10PM – HOCO Extravaganza with Mines Ballroom, Friedhoff

More info

8AM-1PM Golden Farmers Market - Fall Finale @ Corner of 10th and Illinois Streets

Fall Finale Details

The Golden Farmers Market (GFM) is produced and managed by the Golden Chamber of Commerce, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization in Golden, Colorado. A long-standing tradition in the Golden community, we strive to contribute to the success of local food growers and producers, as well as other businesses, and create vibrant community gatherings. The revenue generated from vendor sales commission helps to cover market operating expenses and directly benefits small businesses and the economic development of the Golden Community. More information

Photo by Bud Rockhill

Location:

Corner of 10th and Illinois Streets
Golden   (Map)

9AM-12PM Shred-a-Thon @ Jefferson County Fairgrounds

It's time to shred! Join the Jefferson County Library Foundation and its partners at Goodwill Industries for a Shred-a-thon on to securely shred and recycle files and electronics (no TVs or large appliances)! Limit 3 boxes of shreddable items per car - suggested donation $10 per box. More information

Location:

Jefferson County Fairgrounds
15200 West Sixth Avenue   (Map)

10AM-3PM Saturday Train Rides @ Colorado Railroad Museum

Ride on-board a passenger car pulled by a powerful locomotive. More information

Location:

Colorado Railroad Museum
17155 W. 44th Avenue   (Map)

2-8PM Golden Super Cruise Viewing Party @ Golden Outpost

Head to Golden Outpost for a front row seat at the Golden Super Cruise!

Watch the classic cars cruising South Golden Rd
Sip on cold drinks with great company
Shop from local artisan vendors
Enjoy live music starting at 4:00 p.m.

More information

Location:

Golden Outpost
17695 South Golden Road   (Map)

12PM The Secret Lives of DInosaurs Presentation & Book Signing @ Mines Museum

Treat yourself to a fun and informative presentation as Dr. Lomax talks about his experiences in the field, and details from his latest book The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs: Unearthing the Real Behaviors of Prehistoric Animals! Dr. Lomax will present at the Mines Museum of Earth Science on the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden. Light refreshments will be included. Following the presentation meet the author and if you like, have a book signed. Reserve a seat

Location:

Mines Museum
Colorado School of Mines   (Map)

2-4PM Fall Leaf Nature Art @ Foothills Art Center - Creative Campus

Celebrate the beauty of fall with a creative nature art class! Students will use colorful autumn leaves and natural materials to create unique, seasonal imagery, while exploring their creativity and creating artwork directly from the beauty of the local environment. All materials included. Register

Location:

Foothills Art Center - Creative Campus
809 15th Street   (Map)

3PM Masakazu Ito with the Evergreen Chamber Orchestra @ Rockland Community Church

Masakazu Ito will perform Guitar Concert no. 1, Op. 30, by Mauro Giuliani. Free and open to the public.

Location:

Rockland Community Church
17 S. Mt Vernon Country Club Road   (Map)

The Golden Word - 10/03/26

Play now.

Live Music for Saturday, Oct. 3rd

Click to enlarge

  • More Live Music
    4-8PM     Funk It Up @ Wrigley’s
    5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom
    6:30-9:30PM Ben Rafferty & Friends @ Goosetown Station
    9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern

For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar

Golden History: Roads and Bridges

The Burgess House on Ford Street – the wooden wagon wheels and sharp hooves must have caused constant erosion of the roadbed – Dan Abbott Collection
Click to enlarge

When Golden was new, we surveyed streets but didn’t have much of a tax base to define or improve them in any way. Road maintenance (such as filling exceptionally large holes) was often done as a judicial punishment: break a law and you might be sentenced to 30 days of road work.

Grading was a difficult and expensive process, requiring teams of draft horses, so roads often went around obstacles (such as a mountain, a tree, or a boulder) rather than blasting through in a straight line; thus, early roads tended to be crooked affairs, zig-zagging as necessary.

Early roads would meander with the contours of the land – click to enlarge

As automobiles came into use, better roads became more important. Business owners and boosters saw roads as increasingly important to the movement of people and goods, but there still was no real tax base dedicated to paying for roads. The April 16, 1908 Colorado Transcript featured an article titled “Boosters Plan Campaign to Improve Highways,” which said “…residents in the eastern part of the county are manifesting great interest in the improvement of the highways, many having offered to contribute $100 each in cash and 100 days of work with teams to grade the Middle road.” The same article said that John Brisben Walker, who was building a resort near Morrison, was offering to contribute 10% of the total cost of improving the South Golden and Morrison Roads.

Building roads by subscription was not a good solution, as people soon learned that road-building was an endlessly expensive proposition. With costs so high and funding sources so scarce, roads were built as cheaply as possible.

127 Years Ago
Some landowners took the matter into their own hands, as evidenced in this October 2, 1919 letter to the editor:

The other morning I was projecting around with a shovel and it came over me to fill up a hole in the street over which I had been jouncing for weeks . It gave me a very virtuous feeling although it was entirely for my own benefit, to get out in the street and actually do something which others might profit by. I am willing to share this opportunity with every auto owner in town. You will get this feeling by going out and filling the holes in the street on your own frontage.
Colorado Transcript - October 2, 1919

The arrival of automobiles made roads increasingly important – click to enlarge

By the 1920s, the desire for roads far outstripped the available revenue. Colorado voters approved a bond issue in 1921, but that was quickly absorbed. A 1926 article reported that the highway department would be out of funding by the end of the year. The Highway Commission pushed for higher gasoline and license plate taxes, so that those using the roads most would pay more of the cost of building them.

This 1910 photo of the Golden Mill includes the narrow, old-fashioned Ford Street bridge--the site of many accidents. - Golden History Museum collection - enlarge

96 Years Ago
Bridges were even more difficult and expensive to build than roads. The October 2, 1930 Colorado Transcript described an accident on the Ford Street bridge over Clear Creek. The driver of an automobile, apparently blinded by rain, drove his car onto the support at the edge of the bridge.

The coupe climbed a considerable distance on the bridge support and then toppled over onto the bridge. Had it fallen the other way, into the river, the occupants would probably have been killed.

A similar accident had occurred two weeks earlier. In that case, the driver was blinded by the headlights of an oncoming car and crashed into the bridge support. One of the occupants died. The other driver left the scene without checking on the accident victims.

These two incidents inspired an editorial in the Transcript:

GUARD THIS BRIDGE
Twice within the past two weeks the Ford street bridge has been the scene of serious motor car accidents--one of them resulting fatally.

The bridge, built in the days of slow, horse-drawn traffic, is a danger spot and will be until it is replaced by a modern bridge. Lack of finances make it virtually impossible to build a new bridge at this time.

But the present crossing can be protected by warning lights or other inexpensive safeguards. And it should be done now--today--before other lives are lost or other motorists injured.
Colorado Transcript - October 2, 1930

During the Depression, some federal funding became available for roadwork. WPA funds were intended to provide employment, and the workers were chosen based on need (men with dependents given top priority), so just as in pioneer times, the men building the roads were available, but not necessarily skilled.

The Federal government became increasingly involved in funding roads as time went by–particularly after World War II. One good thing that resulted from Federal involvement was higher standards. When the Feds provided funding, they required certain things, such as level grades, straight routes, gravel to a certain depth, etc. Over time, the nation’s roadways became both more drivable and more resilient.

Weather

Overnight's Weather

Overnight: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. West wind around 9 mph.

Saturday's Weather

Saturday: Sunny. High near 83, with temperatures falling to around 79 in the afternoon. North northeast wind 5 to 9 mph.

Saturday Night's Weather

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. North northwest wind 1 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 16 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly Cloudy, 53°F

Sunday: Sunny, 81°F

Sunday Night: Clear, 58°F

Monday: Sunny, 85°F

Monday Night: Partly Cloudy, 61°F

Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, 83°F

Tuesday Night: Partly Cloudy, 56°F

Wednesday: Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers, 82°F

Wednesday Night: Mostly Clear, 58°F

Thursday: Sunny, 81°F

Thursday Night: Mostly Clear, 58°F

Friday: Sunny, 83°F

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, Clothilde Elingbow, Michael Mason, Earth Sweet Boutique, and Colorado Railroad Museum

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, The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Vic DeMaria, Unite Fitness, 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, in memory of Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, 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, Robert Thresher, Tonie Mattox, Steve & M.L. Richardson, Jeremy & Stephanie Keller, AC Development, Golden PT & Pilates, Frank Young & Terre Deegan-Young, Mary Eiberger, and Jonathan Landman & Bonnie Vangilder

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, Karen Oxman, Catherine Skokan, Ross Fraser & KC Gilliland, Lynne Haigh, Elizabeth Hilliard, Kathy Hirons & Jack Markin, Jess & Anthony Monasterio, Heather Duncan, Lee Ann & Pete Horneck, Carol Cameron, Cheryl Williamson, San Daugherty, 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, Colleen & Michael Ramey, Nancy & Pete Torpey, Jax Baker, Simon Maybury, Rose McLaughlin, Cameron Chambers, Joyce Gravina, Patrick Klein, Barb Robie, Richard Caldwell, Sam & Marilyn Baron, Carmen Johnson, 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, Edgar Walker, Bivy Beer Bar, Nancy Cooper, Jane & Mike Templeton, Vicki Greivel, Kim McDonough, Carie Chimbel, Peggy Brochtrup, Cindy & Matt Finley, Kelly Fry, Esther Kettering, Tom & Susan Roberts, Vicki Greivel, GoGood Golden, Sandra Dallas, Nanette Johnson, and Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch

Followers:
($5-9.99/month or $55/year)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser, Steve Stevens, Vicki Olson, Emily Kurzinski, Peyton Gibson, Sally Berger, Kristen Morgan, Joyce Sutton, Mary Rains, Craig Champlin, Stan Swisher, Bill Way, Chris Toney, Alicia Zimmerman, Tamara Feucht, Golden Brokers, Diane Tiberi, Cathy Larocca, Dave Cole, and Rachael Kenney-Reid

Highlights