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Photo by Patrick Klein
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What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Wednesday, Aug. 14th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Live Music
- 9-10:15AM - Golden Walks
- 9AM - Golden Startup Coffee
- 10:15-11:15AM - Discovery Play
- 10:15-10:45AM - Toddler Time
- 12PM - Ribbon Cutting - Courageous Way Academy
- 3-5PM - Virtual/Call In: Hard Times Writing Workshop
- 4PM - $5 Yoga Class - Intermediate/Advanced Yoga Sculpt
- 6-7:30PM - Bingo Night
- 6:30PM - Trivia Night
- 6:30PM - Historic Preservation Board Meeting
- 6:30-8PM - Perennials and Fall Planting (Virtual)
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
9AM Golden Startup Coffee @
Golden Startup Coffee’s mission is to learn, contribute, and inspire. It’s a simple morning meetup for entrepreneurs, innovators, creatives, and community members to explore the entrepreneurial journey together in Golden, Colorado.
Morris & Mae
18475 W. Colfax Avenue (map)
Did you forget to order your peaches this year?
Here's some good news for those of us who missed last Sunday's deadline: the Rotary Club ordered about 50 extra cases, and they will keep the online ordering link live until the extra cases have been sold.
The pickup date is this Saturday August 17th, at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds (map).
12PM Ribbon Cutting @ Courageous Way Academy
Courageous Way Academy of Karate is a traditional karate school that promotes courage, respect, confidence, awareness, perseverance, and self-defense using traditional martial arts from Okinawa, Japan that have been passed down through generations.
When starting to practice traditional martial arts, one embarks on the unique journey to find who they are, both inside and out. Our goal is to offer instruction and build an environment that fosters a strong bond of community for all students, regardless of prior martial arts experience, background, gender identity, ethnicity, and age. We prioritize empowering our community to be better over commercial profits. We offer monthly discounts to students, first responders, and frontline healthcare workers.
Please join us for our grand opening on August 14th. For more information, please visit us at https://www.courageouswayacademy.com
Courageous Way Academy of Karate
at the First United Methodist Church
1500 Ford Street (map)
6:30-8PM Perennials and Fall Planting (Virtual)
While many of your plants shine in the spring and summer, don’t forget about plants that can add a lot of impact and color to your landscape in the fall. Not only is there a great selection of perennials that flower, but some even have wonderful leaf color. Fall is also a time to do clean-up and maintenance before winter. Join Alison O’Connor for a list of some of her favorite perennials and tips on how to plant, care for, and maintain these beauties.
Speaker: Alison O’Connor, CSU Extension
Sponsored by the City of Golden
Register Now!
6:30PM Historic Preservation Board Meeting @ City Hall
- Meeting Agenda
- Watch the meeting streaming live starting at 5PM
- Attend the meeting @ City Hall Council Chambers - 911 10th Street - (map)
- Provide in-person comment during the meeting at 6:30PM.
The Historic Preservation Board will consider a application for a Certificate of Appropriateness by the owner of 407 21st Street (map), who plans to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in the back yard. The new residence will be accessed by an alley that runs between that 21st Street house and 408 22nd Street. The main house on the property was built in 1947. It is within the boundaries of the East Street Historic District but is considered a non-contributing structure.
The board will consider rescheduling the September, October, and November meetings because the staff member has a conflict.
Staff will update the board on an ongoing Historic Preservation Policy and Engagement Study.
Live Music for Wednesday, Aug. 14th
- 6-9PM Chris Koltak @ Miners Saloon
Miners Saloon - More Live Music
4-8PM Chrispy @ Mountain Toad
6PM Live Music @ Rock Rest Lodge
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: El Rancho
El Rancho Colorado Restaurant
Click to enlarge
This is a bit beyond my usual territory, but I’ve always been interested in the El Rancho restaurant, just off I-70 (map). I was also intrigued by “The TeePees.” I didn’t know where they were, but I kept coming across postcards showing them. The old postcards identified both as being in Golden, Colorado. I recently learned that the two businesses were right across the road from each other.
My neighbor, John McEncroe, spent a lot of his youth at El Rancho–because his family owned it! I asked him to relate some of his memories, and he was kind enough to write the following:
by John McEncroe
El Rancho restaurant was built in 1948 by the Jahnkes as a trading post and café. It was purchased by Ray Zipprich (my maternal grandfather) in 1954. In 1958 our family moved from Milwaukee to Kittredge so that my father, Paul McEncroe, could take over management (and in 1965, ownership) of the restaurant.
In the early 1960s, there were only 2 commercial buildings at the intersection of U.S. Hwy 40 and Highway 74. Although El Rancho was certainly an attractive building, most people referred to “turning at the TeePees,” when trying to explain to people how to find Evergreen. My recollection is that “The TeePees” burned down in ~ 1962 (it was never rebuilt), and as such, El Rancho became the sole remaining business in the area, and capitalized on its newly found, and fortuitous designation, as a landmark. By the late 1960s (under my father’s vision) it had earned the reputation as one of two great restaurants (the other being “The Fort”) on the west side of the metro Denver area for special dinner occasions, especially when entertaining out of town guests.
Although El Rancho had a view of one or two snowcaps from the main dining room, much of the magnificent view of the snowcaps visible from the bison overlook at Genesee was hidden by a hill about 300’ due west of El Rancho. As construction of I-70 up Mt. Vernon Canyon began in ~ 1969, my father realized that an opportunity existed to open up our view to the west to match that from the top of Genesee, and he let the contractor for I-70 know that they could take as much fill as they wanted, and we wound up with essentially the same view as from the top of Genesee but minus the visible traffic at the bison overlook. In ~ 1973, a few years after I-70 had been built past El Rancho, a high end restaurant chain purchased land near the top of the Genesee exit to build “The Chart House.” My Dad was deeply concerned that it would heavily cut into our business, and was ecstatic when the framing was in place, and it became apparent that their view was to be of the metro Denver area and not the snowcaps.
In 1972, My father told me that I could take over El Rancho when he retired, but knowing that I did not have his love for it, nor his marketing acumen, I said that although I appreciated the offer, I was not interested. In ~ 1985, he decided to start looking for a buyer, and we sold it in 1988 (my Dad had “sweetened the pot” by arranging for a percentage of the proceeds of its sale to my wife Carol and me if we remained involved until it sold).
Weather
Overnight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. West northwest wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny. High near 84, with temperatures falling to around 80 in the afternoon. West northwest wind 7 to 12 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9pm and 10pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10pm and 11pm. Partly cloudy. Low around 59, with temperatures rising to around 61 overnight. West northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Wednesday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 59°F
Thursday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 84°F
Thursday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Clear, 61°F
Friday: Sunny, 92°F
Friday Night: Mostly Clear, 64°F
Saturday: Sunny, 94°F
Saturday Night: Partly Cloudy, 67°F
Sunday: Partly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 90°F
Sunday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy, 65°F
Monday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 90°F
Monday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 65°F
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 89°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 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, Morris & Mae Market, Miners Saloon, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden Hayride Outpost, Kona Bowls, Unite Fitness, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, and Esther Kettering
Friends:
($50-99.99/month or $500/yr)
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Goozell Yogurt & Coffee Paul Haseman, Donna Anderson, Carol & Doug Harwood, Beth Bidwell, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, and Joy Brandt
Supporters:
($25-49.99/month or $250/yr)
Laura King and Scott Wilson, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Forrest Jones, Barry & Liz Bettis, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, Rick Flint, Forrest Jones, AC Development, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Stephen Pero, Meg Van Ness & Steve Kalasz, Steve & Karla Schaefer
Members:
($10-24.99/month or $100/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, Casey & Gina Brown, Sandy Schneider, Mark and Cathy Pattridge, Cheryl G Leidich, Jen Rutter, Carol Abel, 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, 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, and the Golden Transcript
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser
