Sun Rising Behind the Two Table Mountains
Photo by Gerald Wayman
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Thursday, Dec. 18th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Golden History Tours
- All day - Golden Sports
- 9:15-9:45AM - Baby Time - Registration Required
- 10-10:30AM - Call In: Mid-Morning Meditation
- 10AM-5PM - Foothills Art Center - Holiday Art Market
- 10AM-5PM - Foothills Art Center - Holiday Art Market
- 3-4:30PM - Vaccine, License & Microchip Clinic
- 4-11PM - Cheese Night with Cheese Ranch!
- 4-6PM - Tween Scene: Nailed It! Holiday Edition
- 4-6PM - Tween Scene: Nailed It! Holiday Edition
- 5PM - Strategic Planning Meeting
- 5-8PM - Guys Night Out
- 6-8PM - Trivia Night
- 6PM - Run Club
- 6-10PM - Wax N' Suds
- 6PM - CANCELED: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting @ City Hall
- 6-9PM - Awkward Family Photos
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
Wind and Darkness
I'm writing this by the glow of my cellphone. Power in our neighborhood went off at 9:45 Wednesday morning and is still off at 3AM Thursday.
Some parts of Golden never lost power: we had dinner downtown last night. The City's site is still announcing that they will be closed on Wednesday. The Xcel site is saying that there may be another outage on Friday...which may feel a lot like the same outage to many of us.
I'm not confident that the following events will take place, but here's what's still scheduled!
10AM-5PM Holiday Art Market @ Foothills Art Center - Astor House
The annual Holiday Art Market (HART) at Foothills Art Center in Golden, CO is a premier holiday venue for fabulous fine art and craft made in Colorado. Visitors are immersed in a unique holiday marketplace featuring an array of handmade gifts for everyone on their holiday gift giving list. Over 100 Colorado artists offer ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, paintings, woodworking, photography and much more. Plus, your purchases of these one-of-a-kind treasure helps support both local artists and Foothills Art Center!
Admission and activities are free (donations accepted). 303-279-3922.
Mon-Sat: 10AM-5PM
Sunday: 12-5PM
Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Location:
Foothills Art Center - Astor House
1133 Arapahoe Street (Map)
4-6PM Tween Scene: Nailed It! Holiday Edition
We’re kicking off the festive season with another Tween Edition of Nailed It! This time, enjoy a holiday twist! This interactive challenge will have you creating all sorts of edible snowmen.
This monthly event is exclusively for tweens in 4th through 6th grade to provide an opportunity to explore and express themselves. Please honor this age limit to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for all participants. Registration required.
Location:
Golden Library
1019 10th Street (Map)
5PM Fire Services Strategic Planning Meeting @ The Community Center
Help shape the future of fire services in Golden. Staff will be on hand to talk about our Fire Strategic Plan and gather your ideas and priorities for community safety and wildfire preparedness.
Location:
Golden Community Center
1470 10th Street (Map)
The Golden Word - 12/18/25
Live Music for Thursday, 12/18/25
5-8PM Kory Montgomery @ Golden Mill
More Live Music
6PM Smörgasgrass @ New Terrain Brewing
6:30-8:30PM Rene Moffatt @ Etta Jeanne
7-10PM Open Jam Night @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
8PM Karaoke @ Rock Rest Lodge
Live Music for Thursday, Dec. 18th
- 5-8PM Kory Montgomery @ Golden Mill
Golden Mill - More Live Music
6PM Smörgasgrass @ New Terrain Brewing
6:30-8:30PM Rene Moffatt @ Etta Jeanne
7-10PM Open Jam Night @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
8PM Karaoke @ Rock Rest Lodge
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: Free Farms!
John Churches and several of his adult children homesteaded the area just north of North Table Mountain
Click to enlarge
153 Years Ago
This area was growing in the post (Civil) war years, and free land was still available through the Homestead Act. Would-be settlers often wrote the Transcript, asking for information about local land and the mechanics of filing a claim. The December 18, 1872 Colorado Transcript responded to “the rapid increase of immigration to this Territory, and the loud call that constantly comes up from outside for reliable information in regard thereto….”
To qualify for a homestead, a person had to be a citizen of the U.S. or an immigrant who has declared his intention to become a citizen. Women as well as men were eligible to claim homesteads.
An applicant could file on 80 acres within the limits of a railroad grant (which generally meant within 1 mile of a railroad) or 160 acres outside of a railroad grant. He or she had to pay an initial application fee, which ranged from $7-18, depending on the quality and quantity of the land.
The applicant had to live on that homestead, improve it (build a house and barn), and farm it for five years. At the end of that time, the applicant owned the land, free and clear.
Former soldiers or sailors were entitled to subtract their enlistment period from the five years, enabling them to own the land that much sooner.
A homesteader also had the option to improve the land, live on it and farm it, and then buy it at the government price ($1.25-$2.50/acre) after as little as six months.
Weather
Overnight: Mostly clear. Low around 34, with temperatures rising to around 38 overnight. West northwest wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High near 49, with temperatures falling to around 44 in the afternoon. West northwest wind 9 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Low around 38, with temperatures rising to around 50 overnight. Southwest wind 10 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly Cloudy, 38°F
Friday: Mostly Sunny, 66°F
Friday Night: Chance Light Rain, 46°F
Saturday: Chance Light Rain then Mostly Sunny, 56°F
Saturday Night: Partly Cloudy, 36°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny, 59°F
Sunday Night: Partly Cloudy, 44°F
Monday: Sunny, 66°F
Monday Night: Partly Cloudy, 41°F
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, 61°F
Tuesday Night: Partly Cloudy, 40°F
Wednesday: Mostly Sunny, 64°F
News About Golden - December 18, 2025
City of Golden Weekly Digest
In this issue... Download PDF below.
Xcel revises power cut impacts to 52,000 customers amid dry, windy weather in Colorado
By Katie Langford and Lauren Penington
Denver Post
Xcel Energy officials cut down the number of Front Range customers who may lose power during a wind storm on Wednesday from half a million to 52,000, according to a news release sent Tuesday afternoon... 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 Cultural Alliance, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Miners Saloon, Golden Hayride Outpost, Unite Fitness, Clothilde Elingbow, Michael Mason, Goosetown Station, and Earth Sweet Boutique
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, 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, Kurt & Janet Siegfried, Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch, Robert Thresher, Tonie Mattox, Centennial State Wealth Advisors, and Steve & M.L. Richardson
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, 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, and Wendy Weiman
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
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
