Coronavirus/COVID-19
Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Effective this Friday (November 20th) at 5PM, Jefferson County will be moving to Level Red, “Severe Risk.” Learn more….
JCPHD updates these numbers Monday through Friday at about 3 PM. Here’s the most recent Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page:
Cases in Jeffco – Mon: 15,146 | Tues: 15,543 (+397)
Deaths in Jeffco – Mon: 388 | Tues: 392 (+4)
Ever Hospitalized in Jeffco – Mon: 1,038 | Tues: 1,048 (currently 207) (+10)
Recovered – Mon: 10,386 | Tues: 10,705 (+319)
Known Cases in Golden – Mon: 508 | (not updated)
School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Masks are required. | City and County fire restrictions are in place. | Sign up for exposure notifications.
Virtual Golden
8:30-9:30AM Virtual Power Training
10:15AM Baby Time with the Library
10-11:30AM Everything Dinosaur Talk – Hadrosaurs
5:30-7PM Golden Orators Toastmasters
5:30PM Golden High School Virtual 8th Grade Family Night
7-8:15PM Race-based real estate developments in Jefferson County
6PM Rescheduled: Community Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting
The Sustainability Board will hear from Mines project teams who have been working to identify a “zero energy district” in Golden. They will also discuss the sustainability menu for new construction in Golden.
6:30PM Planning Commission Study Session
The Planning Commission will review their accomplishments for 2020 and discuss their goals for 2021. The Planning Department expects to spend much of their time on the Code Audit and Rewrite process. That project is focusing on building more, smaller homes in Golden (multiple homes on a single lot) on the theory that the new, small homes will be more affordable. The Planning Department is also hoping to rezone existing mobile home parks. They will explore offering special financing to homeowners who will build new Accessory Dwelling Units and agree to keep them “affordable.” They will explore creating a community land trust that could buy property to build affordable housing. They will begin a bike and pedestrian master plan, possibly update the North Neighborhoods Plan, and evaluate the sustainability menu.
Real World Golden
9AM Golden Walks
10-10:45AM TriceraTOTS – Turkey-Dactyls at Dinosaur Ridge
3:30-4:30PM Vaccine, License & Microship Clinic @ Foothills Animal Shelter
Golden History Moment
96 Years Ago
Ralph and Dorothy Middlemiss arrived in Golden in November of 1924. He was 29, she was 27, and they had both grown up in Canyon City. They opened a variety store at 1106 Washington Avenue and called it The Fair. Three years later, the Fetterman Variety Store closed, so Ralph and Dorothy bought the entire building and moved their store a few doors down the street. In later years, they lived on the second floor, above the store.
The term “variety store” isn’t used much anymore, but they tended to be small town stores that sold a wide variety of inexpensive items. In later years, they were called dime stores. Today’s Dollar Stores are similar.
The Middlemiss family settled happily into the Golden community. They had three children who attended Golden’s schools and they were active members of the Methodist church. Ralph was a member of the Oddfellows Club, and Dorothy was in the “Good Neighbors Club.” Ralph played the violin, Dorothy played the piano, and they both enjoyed providing music for church services or weddings.
Their oldest son, Ken, began helping in the store when he was 11. By all accounts, he was a bright kid, making regular appearances in the Transcript’s honor roll lists. (He also made a school record for his typing speed.) Ken received a scholarship to attend CU Boulder. His academic career was interrupted by World War II, and after the War he transferred to DU. Then he returned to help his parents expand the store.
In 1949, they built an addition to the store in the formerly vacant lot next door. In 1955, they became part of the national Ben Franklin chain, but in 1967, they went back to being “The Fair.” (The Transcript commented that “all of us old-timers are happy to go back to calling the store by its right name again….”)
Ralph died in 1986 and Dorothy followed him in 1988. Both are buried in the Golden Cemetery. Their son, Ken, ran the store until he retired in 1997. He sold the building to a company that made children’s clothing, so the Fair ceased to exist.
It was a delightful store–creaky wooden floors, toys, sewing supplies, hardware, school supplies, and a huge display of old-fashioned candy.
