A Word from Meyer Hardware
Virtual Events
6-6:55AM Virtual HIIT
8:30-9:25AM Strength and Cardio
11AM-12PM All Levels Yoga Virtual
4-5PM Friday Crafternoons
Real World Events
8AM-3PM M-Climb on Mount Zion
1-2PM The Friday Tour @ Colorado Railroad Museum
3PM Vaccine, License & Microchip Clinic @ Foothills Animal Shelter
6-8PM Community Friday Night @ Pranatonic (most Fridays)
9AM-6PM Hybrid Wilderness First Aid @ American Mountaineering Center
10AM-12PM Rocky Mountain Quilt Study Group @ Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
5-7PM Golden Fine Arts Festival Reception @ the Golden Visitors Center
7PM Movies & Music in the Park @ Parfet Park
This will be a beautiful evening to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark in Parfet Park. The moon is almost full (it will be full on Sunday) and will rise tonight at 7:14PM. Tonight’s band, Izcalli, will begin playing at 7 and the movie will start at dusk. The forecast says it will be cool and clear–bring a sweater!
Fine Arts Festival
The Golden Fine Arts Festival will take place this weekend–always a delightful event! The Chamber is still looking for volunteers, so if you have time and want to help, please contact them!
Live Music
4PM Seeing Stars @ Over Yonder
5PM Dave Frisk @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
5PM Codebreaker @ Goosetown Station
6PM Outliers @ Wrigley’s
8PM Gema Pearl @ Buffalo Rose (main venue)
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
Golden History Moment
In honor of this morning’s M-Climb, here’s a reprint of the November 14, 2020 Golden History Moment, which tells the history of the M.
The “M” on Mount Zion was built in 1908. According to the Mines website, it was designed as a descriptive geometry problem and built by students and faculty. In subsequent years, the M was repainted and the infiltrating weeds were pulled.
By 1930, students were interested in building a lighted emblem. Interestingly, they didn’t feel bound to use the existing M; they were strongly considering building a new one on Castle Rock.
An Oredigger article described the solutions they were considering, which included pointing searchlights or floodlights at the M. This was found to be too expensive. They also looked at “reflectors with 300 watt lamps, much the same as used for billboard illumination.” They were very interested in neon–a blue letter on a steel background. This would have been a much smaller letter–16 feet, as opposed to 104 feet.
They considered the problem for a year, decided to keep the M on Mount Zion, and did the first temporary lighting for Homecoming in 1931. According to the Transcript, they outlined the M with “a double row of electric lights. It seems to hang in space as it were, and look as tho it were suspended from the heavens.” The reaction was so favorable that students began a funds drive to install permanent lighting.
The first permanent lighting was installed in April, 1932. The Governor of Colorado came to ceremonially press the button and power up the lights. At about that time, the school realized that they didn’t own the land where the M had been built. Fortunately, they were able to purchase one acre of the hillside from owner Ernest Ramstetter.
Thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts.
