BFF
Photo by Chris Davell
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Wednesday, Feb. 18th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Golden History Tours
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Golden Sports
- 9:30-10:30AM - Fit and Energize Exercise Class
- 10-11:30AM - Denver Art Museum Clay Creations @ Front Porch
- 10:15-10:45AM - Toddler Time - Registration Required
- 2PM - The Odd Couple (Female Version)
- 3PM - Weekly Jam Session
- 3-5PM - Virtual/Call In: Hard Times Writing Workshop
- 5-9PM - Ski X Board Tune Night
- 5:30PM - Planning Commission Meeting @ City Hall
- 5:45-6:45PM - Golden Women in Business Table Talks*
- 6-8PM - Fly-Tying Clinic
- 6:30PM - Wednesday Night Trivia
- 6:30-8:30PM - Trivia Night @ Golden Mill
- 7:30PM - The Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
10-11:30AM Denver Art Museum Clay Creations @ Front Porch
Photo by Joyce Davell
Join docents from the Denver Art Museum to explore the Clay Connects Museum in a Box. Docents will introduce you to three generations of Santa Clara Pueblo artists working in clay as you pinch, coil, and decorate your own clay pot. All supplies provided and participants in this class will receive a ticket for free admission to the Denver Art Museum. This program is free but has limited space
Register | Active Older Adults aged 50+
Location:
Golden Community Center
1470 10th Street (Map)
2PM Matinee Performance of The Odd Couple @ Miners Alley
If you've been thinking of seeing The Odd Couple (and you're free during the day today), here's a great opportunity. They're offering a special matinee performance today, and excellent seats are still available. Purchase tickets.
Location:
Miners Alley Performing Arts Center
1100 Miners Alley (Map)
5:30PM Planning Commission Meeting @ City Hall
- Meeting Agenda
- Watch the meeting streaming live starting at 5:30PM
- Attend the meeting @ City Hall Council Chambers - 911 10th Street - (map)
- Send comments on any of the following topics to planning@cityofgolden.net
- Provide in-person comment during the meeting, at 5:30PM.
The Planning Commission will continue reviewing the draft Comprehensive Plan. This discussion is expected to extend over two meetings; staff hopes to get final approval from the Commission at the March 4th meeting. After that, it will go to City Council for their approval.
The review process has been difficult, as the new version is significantly different from the current Comprehensive Plan. The current Plan came out of an extensive public outreach process in 2010. Citizens were asked what they valued in Golden. They agreed upon the following:
A. An accessible and walkable community
B. Active outdoors and the environment
C. Safe, clean and quiet neighborhoods
D. Support for local business and downtown
E. Convenience and community amenities
F. Support for our history, culture and education
G. A family and kid friendly town
H. Friendliness and appreciation of our neighbors
I. Our sense of community
J. Belonging/volunteerism
Previous versions of the Plan included sections on each of those values, explaining what the City was doing to support each one.
This version of the Comprehensive Plan is different. Instead of being structured around the values, the plan is now focused on
- Housing in Golden
- Regional Partnerships (especially how Mines' growth is affecting the surrounding community)
- Economic Vitality and Development
- Historic Preservation
- Strategic Growth and Water Planning
This version of the plan provides much more emphasis on increasing density and fitting more people in the City's limited space. It states that most new development will be multi-family housing rather than single family homes. It emphasizes use of transportation demand management plans as a way to provide less parking. It focuses on the goal to add affordable housing developments.
It includes a new section on "Regional Partnerships." This is primarily focused on the School of Mines, which has shown dramatic growth over the past few years. This is always a matter of concern to the City, since they have little or no control over what and where the School decides to build. This section mentions the City's desire to have more input into future campus expansion plans.
Location:
City Hall Council Chambers
911 10th Street (Map)
7:30PM The Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War @ Miners Alley Performing Arts Center
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 - 02/18/26
Live Music for Wednesday, Feb. 18th
- 6-9PM Victor Toole @ Miners Saloon
- More Live Music
4-8PM Chrispy @ Mountain Toad
5:30-8:30PM Open Mic Night @ Barrels and Bottles
6PM Live Music @ Rock Rest Lodge
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: The Oldest Artifacts at the Second-Youngest Museum
This month, I've been highlighting Golden's cultural entities, starting with the oldest (the Mines Museum) and moving towards the newest. I know you've come to expect maps from my articles, so here's where we are in the chronology:
Mines Museum (1874) - Golden Library (1913) - Buffalo Bill Museum (1920) - Golden History Museum (1936) - Jefferson Symphony (1953) - Railroad Museum (1958) - Foothills Art Center (1967) - Golden Landmarks Association (1972) - Dinosaur Ridge (1989) - Miners Alley (1989) - Quilt Museum (1990) - Golden Concert Choir (2000) - Public Art Program (2000) - Environmental Film Festival (2006) - GoldenToday (2007) - Golden Beer Talks (2013)
The Dinosaur Ridge Visitors Center and Martin Lockley Discovery Center are located between Golden and Morrison. The Triceratops Trail is located in Golden, on the west side of Fossil Trace Golf Club. This entire area–from Golden down through Morrison–has been the site of many dinosaur discoveries.
Arthur Lakes, a geology professor at the Colorado School of Mines, made the earliest discoveries of dinosaur fossils, beginning with a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth on South Table Mountain in 1874. He went on to find many more fossil remains, and in 1902 discovered dinosaur footprints. When Alameda Parkway was built in 1937, many more dinosaur footprints were uncovered.
In 1973, Jefferson County Open Space purchased the first of many parcels of land that now comprise Matthews/Winters Park, which includes Dinosaur Ridge. The Morrison Fossil Area was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973.
The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge was formed in 1989 "to address increasing concerns regarding the preservation of the site and to offer educational programs on the area’s resources." The first of two Visitors Centers opened in 1996, and the site became a popular spot for field trips.
Here in Golden, the Fossil Trace Golf Course opened in 2002 and the adjacent Triceratops Trail opened in 2006. Learn more about the gradual unfolding of our dinosaur heritage on the Dinosaur Ridge website.
Dr. Beth Simmons wrote and produced an excellent documentary for Dinosaur Ridge: Arthur Lakes Discovering Dinosaurs. It features reenactors in costumes and has some scenes set in the Astor House. It’s available for viewing on YouTube. (You should watch it!)
Weather
Overnight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. West southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 17 mph.
Wednesday: A chance of snow showers between 11am and 5pm, then a chance of snow. Partly sunny. High near 51, with temperatures falling to around 45 in the afternoon. West southwest wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.
Wednesday Night: A chance of snow before 11pm. Partly cloudy. Low around 24, with temperatures rising to around 27 overnight. West wind 16 to 32 mph, with gusts as high as 63 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.
Wednesday Night: Chance Light Snow then Partly Cloudy, 24°F
Thursday: Slight Chance Light Snow, 38°F
Thursday Night: Slight Chance Light Snow, 19°F
Friday: Light Snow Likely, 34°F
Friday Night: Light Snow Likely, 18°F
Saturday: Sunny, 43°F
Saturday Night: Mostly Clear, 21°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny, 48°F
Sunday Night: Mostly Clear, 29°F
Monday: Mostly Sunny, 61°F
Monday Night: Mostly Cloudy, 38°F
Tuesday: Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Light Rain, 62°F
News About Golden - February 18, 2026
Business Buzz: AI layoffs in Denver and economic aftershocks in Golden
By Ryan Frazier
9News
COLORADO, USA — Two significant workforce shifts are in focus on today’s 9NEWS Business Buzz: the rising tide of AI-driven layoffs in the tech sector and the economic ripple effects of federal job cuts in Golden... Read more...
Golden snowboarder Stacy Gaskill talks Olympic journey
By Ed Klajman
Golden Transcript
After crashing out of her mixed team snowboard cross quarterfinal to abruptly end her 2026 Olympic dream, Golden’s Stacy Gaskill could not hold back the emotion... Read more...
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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
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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, Vic DeMaria, and Joy Brandt
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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, and Jeremy & Stephanie Keller
Members:
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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, and Marge Frueh
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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, and Chris Toney
