What’s Happening in Golden Today?
9AM-4PM Christkindl Market @ Denver Kickers Sports Club
10AM-4PM Toy Drive @ Parfet Park (map)
Help fill Santa’s bags with new, unwrapped toys for local children this holiday season. The Miracle Shop, a project of the Rotary Club of Golden, is an annual holiday popup store in Golden, Colorado. This store allows financially struggling parents the ability to shop for new and quality toys at garage sale prices. In fact, each shopper decides what he/she can afford to pay. Over five-hundred children receive holiday gifts chosen and purchased by their parent/guardian who in turn receive the gifts of a gleeful child and reinforced sense of community and personal dignity.
The Miracle Shop has been hugely successful. Adjusted pricing allows a population of underserved adults to purchase items they normally wouldn’t be able to afford, and more importantly, it creates dignity. There is no handout but, instead, a varied shopping experience. Popularity has grown, evidence that this works. Drive-Thru or Drop Off – More information
10AM-3PM Brunch at the Rose @ Buffalo Rose
10AM and 1PM Wild West Short Tour
10:15AM Family Time @ Golden Library
10:30-11AM Olde Golden Holiday Parade @ Washington Avenue
Historic downtown Golden becomes a festive holiday center with traditional decorations and fun family events. The free Olde Golden Holiday Parade features cowboys on horses, floats, marching bands, old cars, elves on unicycles, the Grinch in his corvette, and, of course, Santa Claus. The parade winds down Washington Avenue between 10th and 13th Streets with lots of activities before and after.
12-3PM Free Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides
Clear Creek Carriage Company will be offering free horse-drawn carriage rides through historic downtown Golden. The rides begin and end on 12th Street, just west of Washington Avenue, next to the Old Capitol Grill. These rides are sponsored by GoldenToday.com and the City of Golden.
This is the only time we’ll have carriage rides this year, so if you enjoy them, make sure you come downtown today! The carriages are driven by my daughter Margaret and her new husband Joel, and I will be hanging around the pick-up and drop-off spot most of the afternoon. I’d love to meet and talk to some of my readers today!
12-12:45PM Sweet Sensations @ Natural Grocers
12-2:30PM Walk With a Geologist @ Dinosaur Ridge
1-4PM Wild West Pub Crawl
1-3PM PAWS for Reading @ Golden Library
1:30PM Special Oredigger Football: NCAA Division II Semifinal @ Marv Kay Stadium
5-10PM Holiday Market @ Cannonball Creek Brewing
5PM CSM Women’s Basketball vs. Black Hills State @ Lockridge Arena
7PM CSM Men’s Basketball vs. Black Hills State @ Lockridge Arena
7:30PM A Christmas Story @ Miners Alley Playhouse
Holiday Food Drive @ Mountain Toad Brewery (map) and the Golden Visitor Center (map)
Mountain Toad Brewery (map) and the Golden Visitor Center (map) are hosting a holiday food drive for the Christian Action Guild Food Pantry during the month of December. Food can be dropped off at either location in the donation boxes.
Holiday Canned Food Drive for BGOLDN @ On Tap Credit Union (map)
All of December, On Tap Credit Union is partnering with BGOLDN for a canned food drive. Bring in your cans, and you will be entered to win a gift card to one of our local brewery partners! We ask that before you bring in the items to please make sure they are not expired or damaged as these items cannot be used. Cheers to making a difference in our community.
Live Music
11AM-2PM Green House Trio @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
12PM Lucas Wolf @ Tributary Food Hall
5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom
5-8PM Felipe of Night Pony @ Goosetown Station
5-8PM Wylie “Crazy Horse” Jones @ Over Yonder
7-10PM Conal Rosanbalm @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
7PM Asha Blaine @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
Golden History Moment
Dr. Perry Kelly has two or three cases of small pox in the country east of us, all of which come into the county from Denver, where the loathsome disease is quite prevalent…. Our county commissioners should institute a quarantine against them at once.
Colorado Transcript, March 13, 1889
As that passage demonstrates, the Transcript tended to regard Denver with suspicion when it came to infectious diseases.
The small pox epidemic in Denver has caused considerable worry in Golden, and hundreds of people in this community have taken the precaution of being vaccinated. City Health Officer Kemble reports that there are no cases of the disease here.
Colorado Transcript, December 8, 1921
An outbreak in 1921 was cause for concern in Golden. In fact, it impinged on our holiday social season:
Firemen’s Dance
Once of the most enjoyable events of the season will be the annual Firemen’s masquerade dance which will be held at the Golden opera house on Friday evening, December 30th…. On account of the prevalence of small pox in Denver the committee has decided not to have a costumer come from Denver, but urges that dancers furnish their own outfits.
Colorado Transcript, December 22, 1921
The fear of small pox fit right in with the Transcript’s long-running campaign to encourage people to Buy Local:
Golden merchants have an excellent line of Christmas goods and there is no use in journeying to Denver to buy your Christmas goods. Besides, look at the danger of getting murdered, held up, run over or contracting small pox. Buy at home, help your home town and be safe.
Colorado Transcript, December 22, 1921
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!
