Commencement, Music, COVID Stats, Rationing, and an Air Raid Drill

*Golden Eye Candy – Chris Davell – Moonrise Over Castle Rock (see the people seated above?) – click to enlarge*

Virtual Events

6-6:55AM Virtual HIIT
8:30-9:30AM Virtual Power Training
8:30-9:25AM Strength and Cardio
11AM-12PM All Levels Yoga Virtual

Real World Events

10AM-5PM Holiday Art Market @ Foothills Art Center (through December 29)
1-2PM The Friday Tour @ Colorado Railroad Museum
3PM Vaccine, License & Microchip Clinic @ Foothills Animal Shelter

9AM and 2PM Colorado School of Mines 2021 Midyear Commencement
Colorado School of Mines will celebrate its Midyear 2021 Commencement with two ceremonies. Undergraduate Commencement will start at 9:00 a.m. Graduate Commencement will follow 2:00 p.m. Tickets required. Lockridge Arena, inside the Student Recreation Center. Live webcast will be available on the Mines YouTube channel. More information

10AM-12PM Rocky Mountain Quilt Study Group @ Rocky Mountain Quilt

7:30PM A Christmas Carol @ Miners Alley Playhouse
You’re running out of time to see A Christmas Carol! This is the final weekend, but there will also be performances on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week. If you’re hesitant to sit in a theater, you can watch it on-demand!

Live Music

*Shawn Eckels, 5-8PM at the Golden Mill*

5-8PM Shawn Eckels @ Golden Mill

*Dr. Ross Henderson and Wild Goose Chase, 7PM at the Buffalo Rose*

7PM Dr. Ross Henderson @ Buffalo Rose (main venue)

*Bunny Blake in the Sky Bar Stage at the Buffalo Rose, 7-10PM*

7-10PM Bunny Blake @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern

Weekly COVID Update

79.5%

of residents 5+ have received at least one shot (+0.7% since last week)

74.1%

of residents 5+ have received at least two shots (+1.1% since last week)

29.0%

of residents 5+ have received 3 shots (+1.6% since last week) – source

Jefferson County Case Summary:
Cases in Jeffco – Dec 9th: 74,825 | Dec 16th: 75,968 (+1,143)
Deaths in Jeffco – Dec 9th: 1,087 | Dec 16th: 1,124 (+37)
Currently Hospitalized in Jeffco – Dec 9th: 108 | Dec 16th: 91 (-17)
Recovered – Dec 9th: 71,449 | Dec 16th: 73,316 (+1,867)
Known Cases in Golden – Dec 9th: 2,848 | Dec 16th: 2.880 (+32)

COVID Vaccine Appointments
State of Colorado: Where You Can Get Vaccinated
Jeffco Public Health Vaccine Call Center: 303-239-7000
State Vaccine Hotline: 1-877-268-2926.

Golden Testing Sites
Mines COVID Testing | Jeffco Fairgrounds COVID Testing

More Public Health References
Sign up for exposure notifications | CDC | Colorado | Jefferson County | City of Golden

Where to get vaccinated
The retail outlets have long wait times right now, but it’s fairly easy to get an appointment with Jefferson County Public Health at the Jeffco Fairgrounds (map).

Golden History Moment

*Central Power Company ad, discouraging use of power (and steel) for the duration of the war – click to enlarge*

79 Years Ago
When the December 17, 1942 Colorado Transcript was published, the country had been at war for a year. Rationing was in place; materials were reserved for the war effort, and many of our young people were overseas.

The front page featured the article, Golden Blackout in Answer to Signal is 100 Percent Perfect. On Monday the 14th, the U.S. Army ordered a blackout for the entire state. Many people (those who were willing to use their gasoline ration) ventured to the top of Lookout Mountain. Those who watched the drill from that vantage point reported that Golden’s response to the signal (a whistle blast from Coors) was instantaneous–all lights went out immediately. Denver was a little slower, but their lights went out within a few minutes.

While Army officers watched from the D&F Tower in downtown Denver and casual observers watched from Lookout Mountain, one of our bombers was circling the area, assessing the response from the vantage point of someone trying to bomb the city.

*Gas station ad, discouraging the use of gasoline – click to enlarge*

The test identified some neighborhoods in Denver where the signal had not been heard. In fact, there was a strong wind from the west that night and some people on the west side of Golden hadn’t heard the Coors whistle, while residents of Wheat Ridge and Arvada had heard it clearly.

People who lived in the countryside between Denver and Golden (unable to hear signals), were advised to keep an eye on the “M” on Mount Zion. If it went out, people should assume that a blackout was in effect.

*Phone company ad, discouraging the use of the telephone – click to enlarge*

The editorial section provided an interesting summation of the drill:

We can all remember when Washington Avenue, Golden, had no lights or electric signs–some of the older folks can remember the days of coal oil lamps…. Then folks were used to dark houses and dark streets and thought nothing of it–now to be without our wonderful cheap electricity even for twenty minutes is an experience to be remembered–especially had two or three boxes of dynamite been touched off in the clay pits to make the thing realistic. We are all appreciative of the trained wardens and deputies on duty during this test and are glad to know that they will be on the job should a real thing ever happen.

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!