What’s Happening in Golden Today?
9-9:55AM Silver Sneakers Classic (Virtual)
9:15-9:45AM Baby Time @ Golden Library
10AM-12PM Affordable Housing Committee @ City Hall
The Affordable Housing Committee will meet this morning. This group is reviewing our building codes, looking for ways to facilitate affordable housing.
10-10:30AM Call In: Mid-Morning Meditation (Virtual)
10-10:55AM Chair Yoga (Virtual)
10-11:30PM Everything Dinosaur Lecture: Theropods @ Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Center (Virtual or In-Person)
10:15-10:45AM Toddler Time @ Golden Library
11:30AM-1PM Library for All @ Golden Library
12:30-1:30PM Golden Women in Business Book Club @ The Golden Mill
2-9PM Raise a Pint, Lend a Hand: Black Girls Do Bike @ Holidaily Brewing
5-7PM Conversation on Whole Community Approach to Living Together, Unsheltered and Sheltered @ Methodist Church (map)
Join a community conversation on how both sheltered and unsheltered can live in community together. The Community will gather for a potluck dinner in the community room (basement) of First United Methodist Church. Bring a dish to share and join the community as we work together on the above actions. If this interests you, or you have questions, please reach out/RSVP to Susan Otey at pastor@goldenchurch.org.
5:30PM Colorado Summit Golden Community Town Hall Meeting
6PM Colorado Environmental Film Festival Begins @ American Mountaineering Center
FREE Community Night is Back! – Get your free ticket!
Grab your free ticket to celebrate the return of CEFF this Thursday (2/23) – we have missed the comradery of our community and want you to join us!
6:00-7:15 Reception
Fun party featuring free food and drinks from our favorite community partners and a silent auction with fun and local experiences, products and more!
7:15 Film Screening and Awards
Be the first to help us celebrate this year’s award winning films and enjoy a collection of short films to whet your appetite for the rest of the weekend!
6PM Mobility & Transportation Advisory Board Meeting @ City Hall
The Mobility Board will discuss the bike/pedestrian plan, their annual work plan, and the traffic calming manual.
6PM Run Club @ Runners Roost
6:30PM Everything Dinosaur Lecture: What IS a Dinosaur? @ Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Center (Virtual)
7:30PM The Great American Trailer Park Musical @ Miners Alley Playhouse
There are only 2 weekends left for this delightful musical comedy, and tickets are running low. If you haven’t seen it yet, get your tickets NOW!
Live Music
5-8PM Dave Halchak @ Golden Mill
5-8PM Ben & Pat @ Goosetown Station
5-8PM Teague Starbuck @ Mountain Toad
6-9PM Carl DiFederico @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
6PM Jubilingo @ New Terrain Brewing
8PM Karaoke @ Rock Rest Lodge
Celebrating Heart and Soul of Golden Month:
Miners Alley Playhouse
February is Heart and Soul of Golden month, which celebrates Golden’s many cultural organization. In celebration, I’ve been publishing histories of many members of the Golden Cultural Alliance. This write-up about Miners Alley Playhouse comes courtesy of Lisa DeCaro.
Founded in 1989 as Morrison Theatre Company, Miners Alley Playhouse quickly became a core component of Morrison’s economic, artistic, cultural, and social matrix. In 1993, Miners Alley teamed up with the Town of Morrison to compete for the US WEST “Colorado Initiatives Rural Economic Development Grant,” winning 1st prize. This $125,000 award jump-started a campaign that raised $180,000 to restore the historic town hall for multiple uses including the Morrison Theatre Company, which performed in residence for 13 years. While in Morrison, Miners Alley developed a reputation as a quality producing company and brought many classic plays to the stage, cultivating a tradition of bringing new and innovative works to Denver metro audiences that continues to this day.
In June 2003, Morrison Theatre Company received a loan from the Golden Civic Foundation to convert the Golden Ram restaurant above Foss Drug into a small theater space, and Miners Alley Playhouse was born. Miners Alley Playhouse was now able to produce theater without restriction all year long (the Morrison Town Hall was shared space), with abundant parking, visual art exhibit space, and a full service bar.
In 2013, founders Rick Bernstein & Paige Larson asked Len Matheo & Lisa DeCaro to take over the management of the playhouse. Len & Lisa contacted long-time friends and Goldenites Jim & Brenda Billings, and the four of them gathered in Jim & Brenda’s kitchen to talk about what they wanted the next decade of MAP to look like. They envisioned an inclusive, welcoming, in-demand theater venue that provided world-class entertainment and educational opportunities to the residents of the Golden area. Len and Brenda would be co-Executive and Artistic Directors, and Lisa and Jim would support them on the Board of Directors.
In 2015, Heritage Square Music Hall closed, and one of the key players there, Rory Pierce, brought his talents to MAP and became the Director of Children’s Programs. MAP began presenting 4-5 original shows for kids and launched the YETI (Youth Education Theater Intensive) program.
In 2016, Brenda died suddenly of a brain aneurism. Brenda had been a comforting guiding force, and the group and staff were devastated. They focused on staying the course – providing great quality entertainment in a cozy, welcoming environment. For the next 5 years, the team built a thriving professional theater. They took MAP from a $350,000/year theater to a $1.3M/year theater, serving over 20,000 patrons and hundreds of children per year.
In 2021, when the Schaefer family decided to sell Meyer Hardware, they put together a local coalition of business owners, city commissions, the Golden Civic Foundation, and On Tap Credit Union, and were able to purchase the building on December 20, 2021.
In 2022, Lisa DeCaro stepped down from the Board to join Len in the executive team as the Executive Director of MAP. They spent 2022 working with architects & contractors to finalize the design of the new Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, while also navigating the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new center is under construction, and the first phase is set to open (if all goes well!) in September 2023. Phase 1 will include a state-of-the-art mainstage theater with 157 seats, a cozy lobby bar, and ample gender-neutral restrooms. In the next few years, the center will be completed, including community rooms, classrooms/rehearsal spaces, two artist apartments, an expanded bar, a 300-seat theater in the round, and (possibly) a cabaret/piano bar.
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!
