Lovely November
Photo by Joyce Davell
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Tuesday, Nov. 4th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Golden History Tours
- All day - Fall Yard Waste Collection
- 9AM - Golden Seniors - KaffeeKlatsch
- 9:15-9:45AM - Baby Time - Registration Required
- 9:30-11AM - Blue & White (or 2 Color) Group
- 10AM-12PM - DeLong Park Weedbusters
- 10-10:45AM - Storybook Tour
- 10:15-10:45AM - Preschool Time - Registration Required
- 11AM-4PM - The American Revolution Experience Traveling Exhibition on Tour
- 12-3PM - Hexie Ladies - English Paper Piecing Enthusiasts
- 5-7PM - Golden Women in Business Happy Hour*
- 5:30-7:30PM - Textile Society
- 5:30-7:30PM - Exploring the Elements of Art
- 6-8PM - The Art of Fiber
- 6:30-8:30PM - Toad Trivia
- 6:30PM - 2025 Fly Fishing Film Tour
- 6:30-8:30PM - Team Trivia Tuesday
- 6:30-8:30PM - Trivia Tuesdays
- 6:30-8:30PM - Bar Bingo Night
- 7PM - Pub Trivia
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
9AM Golden Seniors - KaffeeKlatsch @ Golden Welcome Center
Hey, Golden Seniors! Join your friends at the Welcome Center for coffee and conversation! We meet on the Creekside Patio or the Heritage Community Boardroom. Sponsored by the Golden Welcome Center, Golden Pond Retirement Community and the Rotary Club of Golden.
Location:
Golden Welcome Center
1010 Washington Avenue (Map)
When:
9AM on Tuesday, Nov. 4th
11AM-4PM The American Revolution Experience Traveling Exhibition on Tour @ Golden Event Center/Golden Masonic Lodge
The Mount Lookout Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Battlefield Trust are excited to feature the American Revolution Experience at the Golden Event Center from November 4 - November 11, 2025.
The innovative pop-up exhibition includes display panels and interactive digital kiosks that use storytelling, illustration, technology and unique artifacts and primary accounts to connect modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of our nation.
This free community exhibit is hosted by the Golden chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Battlefield Trust. More information
Location:
Golden Event Center/Golden Masonic Lodge
400 10th Street (Map)
5:30PM Exploring the Elements of Art
Meeting on Tuesday evenings 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., our group of artists takes on advanced explorations in the elements of art, with an emphasis on refining skills, building on strengths, and supporting areas for improvement. Experienced artists working in any medium, including drawing mediums, are welcome as we meet and support one another in a spirit of fellowship with the intent of finding and/or enhancing our own personal voices
Explorer & Creator Members $40 / Catalyst Members $80 / Non Members $110
Location:
Foothills Art Center
809 15th Street (map)
(303) 279-3922
6:30PM Fly Fishing Film Festival @ The Buffalo Rose
- General Admission Tickets: First Come First Serve. For BEST Seating arrive early.
- Purchase Tickets.
- ALL Ticket purchases are Final. NO REFUNDS allowed.
- Doors open at 5:30 / Show at 6:30PM
Location:
The Buffalo Rose
1119 Washington Avenue (Map)
Correction on the tree named for two people: Douglas-fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco.
Figure 1. Douglas-fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco – in north Golden. Right: cones with three-pointed bract circled in white. Inset: detail of three-pointed bract.
I made a mistake yesterday in posting Tom Schweich's article about Douglas firs--I printed the first few paragraphs twice and left off the second half. (Sorry Tom!) Here it is in full.
By Tom Schweich
Recently I wrote about Creeping barberry – Berberis repens Pursh – as a local native plant that retains its leaves through the winter season. In that article I also mentioned two Englishmen, David Douglas and Archibald Menzies, who traveled extensively in the Pacific Northwest and became associated with a local native cone-bearing tree: the Douglas-fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco.
Like many of Colorado’s native cone-bearing trees, Douglas-fir retains most of its leaves through the winter while shedding a few old leaves year-round. Douglas-fir is not natively found within the Golden city limits because our climate is too hot and dry. However, along the Peaks to Plains Trail, e.g., at the suspension bridge crossing to Welch Ditch, the north-facing slopes of the canyon provide habitat and a place to see this majestic tree.
Douglas-fir trees are easy to recognize in the field. Besides being a majestic tree, the cones hang downward and have a unique three-pointed bract (see the photo above). Also, the leaves (needles) are arranged around the stem in a spiral and have blunt tips.
While botanist Archibald Menzies first documented the tree in North America (1792), Pseudotsuga menziesii is commonly called Douglas-fir because the Scottish botanist David Douglas introduced the tree to cultivation in Europe in 1827 by sending seeds back to England.
Douglas-fir was given many different scientific names as European botanists worked to determine its place in the classification of plants. During this time our tree was sometimes named for Douglas and sometimes named for Menzies. Douglas-fir was first placed in the pines (Pinus) by Lambert (1803), then the firs (Abies), and then hemlocks (Tsuga). Finally, Carriere (1867), recognizing that Douglas-fir was intermediate between the firs and hemlocks, proposed Pseudotsuga (false hemlock) for it and three other species of trees world-wide.
Douglas-fir is widely distributed from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Pacific coast of California, Oregon and Washington, and from British Columbia south to the mountains of Mexico. We typically say there is a Rocky Mountain variety of Douglas-fir here in Colorado. It is called variety glauca, because the leaves of our Colorado trees have a waxy coating giving them a bluish appearance. However, in the Pacific Northwest, trees with and without the waxy coating grow together and intergrade, so that (maybe) our variety of glauca is a distinction without a real difference.
Douglas-fir has high economic value due to its importance for construction lumber. While it can be more expensive than other options like spruce, Douglas-fir often outperforms spruce in strength and density metrics.
Douglas-fir will thrive in Golden proper even though it is not native. They just need to be watered in both summer and winter(!).
References
Carriere, Elie-Abel. 1867. Traité général des conifères; ou, Description de toutes les espèces et variétés de ce genre aujourd'hui connues, avec leur synonymie, l'indication des procédés de culture et de multiplication qu'il convient de leur appliquer. [General treatise on conifers; or, Description of all the species and varieties of this genus known today, with their synonymy, an indication of the cultivation and multiplication methods which should be applied to them]. Paris: Chez l'Auteur, [House of the author.] 1867. Page 256, described as Pseudotsuga douglasii. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/106503/#page/272/
Lambert, Aylmer Bourke, Esq., F.R.S, F.S.A. 1802. A description of the genus Pinus: illustrated with figures, directions relative to the cultivation, and remarks on the uses of the several species. Tab 33, page 51, described as Pinus taxifolia. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/98773/#page/123/
Wikipedia contributors, "Archibald Menzies," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Archibald_Menzies&oldid=1295970263 (accessed October 17, 2025).
Wikipedia contributors, "David Douglas (botanist)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Douglas_(botanist)&oldid=1307755851 (accessed October 17, 2025).
PLEASE Vote!
According to the County elections page, as of last night, only 24% of Jefferson County's registered voters had turned in their ballots.
As I said yesterday, it's a short ballot, and turning it in is easy.
Drive-Up Voting Boxes (24 hrs/day)
- Northeast side of the Jeffco Courts & Admin building, 100 Jefferson County Pkwy (map)
- Jeffco Elections office in the Laramie Building, 3500 Illinois St. (map)
Walk-Up Boxes (24 hrs/day)
In-person voting (8AM- 5PM on Monday and 7AM-7PM on Tuesday)
- Mines Park Community Building #2, 2001 Infinity Circle (map)
Learn more about in-person voting.
What if I'm not registered to vote?
There are four City Council seats up for grabs, and whether you're happy or unhappy with what Council has been doing, there's a clear choice for you. Learn more about the candidates on our elections page.
The Golden Word - 11/04/25
Play now.
Golden History: Grant Churches' Garage
Colorado Transcript - November 4, 1920
Click to enlarge
105 Years Ago
This advertisement for Grant Churches' Garage appeared in the November 4, 1920 Colorado Transcript. The garage must have done well, because in 1922 Mr. Churches moved from his location on 12th Street, building a new, bigger facility on Washington Avenue.
In 1927, he decided to convert the building into a big indoor swimming pool called The Golden Plunge. The pool business, while popular, didn't survive the Depression. The building was later a Labor Temple, then a department store. It's now the Buffalo Rose events center. The pool is still there, in the basement!
Weather
Overnight: Mostly clear. Low around 46, with temperatures rising to around 48 overnight. Southwest wind around 8 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High near 74, with temperatures falling to around 66 in the afternoon. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 16 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 16 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly Cloudy, 45°F
Wednesday: Sunny, 68°F
Wednesday Night: Partly Cloudy, 46°F
Thursday: Mostly Sunny, 65°F
Thursday Night: Partly Cloudy, 40°F
Friday: Mostly Sunny, 64°F
Friday Night: Partly Cloudy, 44°F
Saturday: Mostly Sunny, 62°F
Saturday Night: Partly Cloudy, 35°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny, 58°F
Sunday Night: Partly Cloudy, 40°F
Monday: Mostly Sunny, 67°F
News About Golden - November 4, 2025
GOLDEN CIVIC FOUNDATION’S 50TH ANNUAL BANDSTAND BALL RAISES $170,000 FOR THE GOOD OF GOLDEN
Golden Civic Foundation
GOLDEN, CO – November 3, 2025 – The Golden Civic Foundation (GCF) is thrilled to announce that its 50th Annual Gala & Auction, The Bandstand Ball: Prom Night for the Young at Heart, raised nearly $170,000 in net proceeds to support the Golden community. The event was held on October 18, 2025, at the Marriott Denver West, where more than 260 of Golden’s business and community leaders came together for an unforgettable evening of dinner, dancing, and giving back... Read more... Download PDF below.
Telegrapher
Colorado Railroad Museum
In this issue... Download PDF below.
Colorado state park offers Christmas tree-cutting permits in lottery system
By Alexander Kirk
9News
GOLDEN, Colo. — Golden Gate Canyon State Park is offering up a limited number of permits for those eager to cut down their own Christmas tree this holiday season... Read more...
Class 4A Football State Playoff Bracket (2025)
CHSAA
The 2025 Class 4A football state playoff bracket... View...
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, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, Colorado Railroad Museum, 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 Joy Brandt
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, and Centennial State Wealth Advisors
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
