Sandra Dallas, Sunday Swing, Arts & Culture, and Laying a Cornerstone

Spring blossoms at the Golden History Park - log cabin the background — *Golden Eye Candy – Andi Pearson – **Happy Mother’s Day!** – enlarge*

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOLDEN TODAY?

*Bird Watching Walk with the Stewards of Golden Open Space*

Kinney Run Bird Walk
Join Stewards’ knowledgeable birders for an early morning bird walk along the Kinney Run trail on May 14th, May 20th or May 21st. The tour on the 20th will be a joint event with Denver Audubon. We have 12 openings for each day. Send an email to info@stewardsofgolden.org to reserve your spot!

10AM-3PM Brunch at the Rose @ Buffalo Rose
10AM-noon Breakfast Burritos @ The Golden Mill
12-2PM Full Walking Tour @ Dinosaur Ridge

*Sandra Dallas will be signing copies of her latest book at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum this afternoon*

2-4PM Sunday at the Museum – Sandra Dallas Book Signing @ Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
2-5PM Abby Brown @ Golden Mill

4PM Sunday Swing with the Flatirons Jazz Orchestra @ Buffalo Rose

See the complete calendar of events.

ARTS AND CULTURE MASTER PLAN

Regular readers will know that I’m a big supporter of Golden’s museums, theater, and musical organizations. When the citizens voted to approve a lodging tax, City Council committed to use a significant portion of the proceeds to support our cultural organizations.

The City is asking us to take a brief survey to tell them whether we value our cultural institutions and whether we visit them. I hope you’ll take it, and express your support! The survey closes tomorrow, May 15th.

LIVE MUSIC

11AM-2PM Jon Eric Farmer @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)

Abby Brown performing at the Golden Mill

3-6PM Abby Brown @ Golden Mill
3-7PM Funk It Up @ Wrigley’s

4-7PM Will Whalen @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
4PM David Willis @ Over Yonder
8PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern

GOLDEN HISTORY MOMENT

Crowd gathered at Central School (later renamed Mitchell Elementary). The school was still under construction at the time. — *Crowd gathered at the Central School (later renamed Mitchell Elementary) during construction. Golden History Museum collection. Enlarge*

86 Years Ago
The May 14, 1936 Colorado Transcript described the cornerstone-laying celebration of the Central School, which was attended by “an enthusiastic gathering of Golden citizens.”

Flags decorated the avenue. Business houses closed. Schools were dismissed. The high school band, in their bright uniforms with instruments glittering in the sun marched through the streets to the site of the new school.

*Cornerstone of the Central School, now part of the Golden History Museum collection.*

The Golden Masonic lodge laid the cornerstone. They provided “a long column of more than 100 Masons, most of whom wore dark suits and white aprons.”

The editorial page gave credit to Roger Q. Mitchell, superintendent for the Golden schools, for securing the funding for the new building. He had received a letter from Washington, asking for a report on the schools of Golden.

This request for information might have been pigeonholed and forgotten,but Mitchell is not that kind of a man.… Mitchell made his report. The district had two school buildings, antiquated, overcrowded and fire traps. One, the South school, was built in 1873, three years before Colorado was admitted to statehood, the other, the North school was built six years later.

Golden High School, built in 1924. Later Golden Junior High School and now the American Mountaineering Center — *Golden High School, 1924, enlarge*

Golden had built a new High School, which opened in 1924. Thereafter, the old North and South Schools were used exclusively as elementary schools.

photos of the South School, built in 1873, and the North School, built in 1880 - Golden History Museum Collection — *South and North Schools – Golden History Museum Collection – enlarge*

The Central School was completed in record time, opening for classes in January of 1937. After that, the Golden School District was able to sell the older buildings. The South School went to the School of Mines for $15,000 and the North School was sold to Jefferson County for $2,500. Both of the old schools were demolished in 1965.

Thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts, and to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!