Back by popular demand — some of the free things to do to celebrate Independence Day, 2010! As usual, we won’t even scratch the surface of the hundreds of free celebrations going on around the state, but here’s a sampling for your independent spirits to enjoy. All events are on July 4 unless stated otherwise.

Avon – SALUTE TO THE USA FIREWORKS CELEBRATION
07/03/2010 – 5:00 p.m.
Harry A. Nottingham Park
Music, food vendors, and a beer garden. A FREE Family Zone will offer carnival games, inflatable jumping toys, face painting, clowns and a special children’s instrument petting zoo. The Family Zone opens at 5:30 p.m. and continue until the fireworks begin at 9:45 p.m.  970-748-4060

Boulder - READING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
07/03/2010 – 6:30 p.m.
University of Colorado, Boulder on the Green in front of the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival invites the public to a free reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Denver - CHEESMAN PARK INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
PARADE begins at 10:00 a.m.
East side of Cheesman Park at The Pavilion (East 9th and High Street)
Enjoy the balloon artist, the caricature artist, a marching band and more.  Children are to be accompanied by adults and should arrive by 9:00 AM to decorate their bikes or wagons. Also, enjoy face painting, a meet and greet with Denver policemen on horseback and with Denver firemen. For more information call Council Woman Jeanne Robb at (303 377-1807).

Estes Park
Pancake breakfast, car show, horse show and fireworks.

Frisco - FRISCO’S FANTASTIC FOURTH OF JULY

Start the day with the Kids Fishing Derby, cheer on the Main Street parade, watch a concert in the park or at the marina, and

end with the grand finale, the Fabulous Fireworks over Frisco Bay Marina on Dillon Reservoir.

800-424-1554

La Veta – 35TH ANNUAL ART IN THE PARK
7/3 – 7/4/2010
La Veta Town Park
Original handcrafted fine art, crafts, jewelry, apparel, paintings, ceramics, glass, wood, more. Rodeo, parade, barbecue and live music.  719-742-3074

It’s springtime and time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors (as soon as the hail is cleared off the roads).  There are lots of fun and free things coming up in the Jeffco region via Lookout Mountain Nature Center.  Here’s just a sampling:

Saturday, May 1
Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Day
9 am – 3 pm Dinosaur Ridge
Nature Center naturalists will be at one of the stops on the fantastic walking tour of Dinosaur Ridge. Bring family and friends to spend the day learning about Earth resources. Registration is not required for this drop-in event. All ages.

Saturday, May 8
International Migratory Bird Day Hike
7 am Crown Hill Park
Each year, birders around the globe celebrate by taking part in birding hikes on the second Saturday in May. Join this global observance of birds with an easy naturalist-guided hike around
the lake and into the restricted access Kestrel Pond refuge. All birding abilities welcome. This walk can accommodate strollers. All ages.

Saturday, May 15
Observatory Open House
8:30 – 10:45 pm William Baehr Observatory at Pine Valley Ranch Park
Make the moderate 1/3-mile hike up to the historic observatory for a special evening of stargazing. Ages 10 – adult.

Saturday, May 22
Ralston Buttes Special Access Hike
8 am  Meeting place TBD
Ralston Buttes is one of the crown jewels of Open Space and is only accessible during special Open Space events. Join naturalists and natural resource specialists to explore the area.
Registration is required, and space is limited. Ages 12 – adult. Call Lookout Mountain Nature Center for registration information.

Friday, May 28
Memorial Day Campfire
6:30 pm  Lair o’ the Bear Park
Memorial Day is a celebration of our forefathers. Join this old-fashioned campfire program to learn the story of  tribes and families that once lived in Bear Creek Canyon and the plants and
animals that shaped their lives. The program concludes with the ever-popular roasting of marshmallows. Ages 6 – adult.

Saturday, May 29
Kids’ Nature Art: Sketching Birds in Ink and Watercolor
9 am  Crown Hill Park
Spring is the time for birds, and sketching is a great way to learn about their plumage and habits. We will use binoculars and field guides to study birds in the Crown Hill refuge, and then draw
our findings in ink and watercolor. Art supplies are provided. Please bring water, a snack, sunscreen and a sun/baseball cap. Kids ages 6 – 10 with an adult.

Registration is required for all programs unless noted.
Register for programs online. Visit lmnc.jeffco.us and click the Register button, or call (720) 497-7600. Summer hours are 10 – 4, Tuesday – Friday and 9 – 5 on Saturday and Sunday. Call at least two days before a program.

And that’s just a sampling of what’s going on during May 2010!  For many more great activities, take a look at the Spring 2010 Program Schedule.

April 17 – 25, 2010
is National Parks Week  and you know what that means…free admission! 

That’s right — you can visit Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes NP & Preserve, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, and Mesa Verde NP and not pay anything at the entrance gates. Plus, there may be discounts at the bookstores and visitor centers in the parks, and special programs.

Need an example?  Check this out:

Guests of Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado can book one night at the Far View Lodge, priced at $99, and get the second consecutive night FREE. This offer is valid April 22 – April 30. Please note, entrance to Mesa Verde National Park is free through the end of April.

Sweet, eh?

By the way, if you’re planning a trip out of state, remember that all the National Parks all over the country are offering free admission for the week, so have a great time out there!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

They’re billing it as the “Celebration of the Century” and residents of the Uncompahgre Valley — including Montrose, Olathe, and Delta — are well aware of the impact made in the 100 years since a 6 mile tunnel was dug through hard rock allowing some of the water from the Gunnison River to “escape” the Black Canyon and flow into the fertile but extremely dry valley. 

Come join the fun in Montrose with a Turn-of-the-Century Parade down Main Street, special displays by blacksmiths, boot makers, and other trades from 100 years ago, enjoy horseshoe, tug-og-war, and pie-eating events, or check out a demonstration with mules and draft horses digging a canal.

There will be a re-enactment of the 1909 Tunnel Opening Celebration which featured President William Howard Taft ringing a bell (and others ringing bells across the valley), plus a “Grand Pyrotechnical Display” (now generally known as a “Fireworks Display”).

In addition, both Black Canyon National Park and Ridgway State Park are offering free admission on this special Saturday.  And if all this isn’t enough to get you to visit Montrose, there is also the Black Canyon Car Club Car Show in town (Centennial Plaza downtown), and a Volunteer Fair at the Library. 

More history on the Gunnison Tunnel can be found here.

You’re never too old to enjoy a visit to the zoo!  And you can prove it on your next birthday with free admission on your special day, a free souvenir button (woohoo!), a free Jr. ice cream cone (yum!), a free spin on our Conservation Carousel (whee!), and, if you can make that someone special you’ve brought along feel guilty about not spending any money on you yet for your birthday, there’s even a 10% discount on a purchase at the zoo gift shop.  Yes!!

You’ll need to plan ahead just a little bit to enjoy your free celebration with the critters, but it’s simple.  Just go to the Birthday page on the Denver Zoo’s site and register your birthday information (and don’t forget to register everyone else in your household — they love the zoo too, don’t they?).  Print out the ticket/confirmation message, bring along your photo ID, and it’s time to celebrate another year.

Feeling down about your newly-acquired age?  Consider this:  the oldest documented tortoise lived to be 188.  And there was a koi (you know – one of those carp you see in ponds in Japanese gardens) which lived to be 226.  I’m sure the Denver Zoo must have some tortoises and koi around for you to visit.

July 4, 2009
Isn’t this summer flying by! It’s time once again to think about how we’ll celebrate our nation’s birthday. There are hardly any towns in Colorado that don’t have some sort of festivities for Independence Day 2009, so I’ll just give you a sampling of choices.

Arvada - Fourth of July Festival - car show, live music, amusements, food and  fireworks display.  Events begin at 3:00 PM at the Lutz/Stenger Sports Complex on W. 58 th Ave. at Oak St. just west of Kipling (parking lot opens at 2:00 pm).  Family-friendly events include:
· “Hot Times, Kool Cars” classic car show
· The KOOL Cats, 17th Avenue Allstars and the Aquasonics on stage
· A Kid’s Park, with bounce houses, caterpillar crawl, face painting, sports games
· Child identification DNA Kit
· Fire truck and emergency vehicle display

Boulder - Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast - University of Colorado Campus - Folsom Stadium
8:00 PM – Gates Open; Master of ceremonies and welcome; Skip-It’s jump rope team
8:30 PM – City Open Space & Mountain Parks sing-along
8:45 PM –  Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
9:15 PM – Boulder’s 150th Birthday Celebration
9:30 PM – Fireworks display

Estes Park - Pancake breakfast, car show, horse show and fireworks - 800-44-ESTES

Frazer - 4th of July Celebration & Run for Independence - Fireworks, rodeo, live music, 5-mile Run for Independence, barbecue, carnival games, pancake breakfast and more.  Fraser Sports Complex -  800-903-7275

Golden - Golden Lions July 4th Community Festival @ Lions Park, 10th and Maple St. Food, beverages, entertainment, live bands, fireworks show around 9:30 PM. The Golden Lions Club is giving back to the community again this year with FREE RIDES for all the kids, including a trackless train ride.  www.GoldenLionsClub.org

Granby - Agate Ave., Main Street
10:30 AM  - Biggest Small Town Parade in Colorado
11:30 AM –  BBQ
7:00 PM – BBQ
800-552-6557

Highlands Ranch - Enjoy an old fashioned Fourth of July at the Highlands Ranch Community Association’s celebration at the Town Center, 9288 Dorchester Street, from 8:30 AM – 9:00 PM. Independence Day 5K Run/Walk and the July 4th Parade. Live music, rides for the kids, a hot dog eating contest, food and merchandise vendors, and fireworks after dark.  303-791-2500

Niwot - 4th of July Parade Marches On - The parade starts at 11 AM. It will be preceded by a pancake breakfast at the Niwot Market in Cottonwood Square

Ouray - Parades, kids’ games, fireworks and more - Main Street -  970-325-4746

Salida - Historic downtown Salida has a daytime parade, food, fun and nighttime fireworks extravaganza, all in Riverside Park (F Street).   719-539-2068

Steamboat Springs – Cowboy’s Roundup Days & 4th of July Celebration - downtown parade, fireworks, cattle drive through town and rodeos.  7/3 through 7/5/2009.   877-754-2269

In the “every little bit helps” department, all National Park Service sites that charge entry fees will waive them for the weekends of:

June 20 and 21 (Happy Father’s Day!),
July 18 and 19, and
August 15 and 16, 2009.

Here in Colorado, these free admission weekends will apply to:

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes NP & Preserve
Hovenweep National Monument
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park

See you on the trails!

May 25, 2009
Bolder Boulder 10K (Boulder)

May 31, 2009
The Road to Victory Bicycle Race (Boulder)

June 5 – 7, 2009
Teva Mountain Games (Vail)

No, that headline didn’t say “Bare Naked Tour.”
These are family events, so don’t get so worked up.

If you don’t already know, Bear Naked is a line of yummy granola and yogurt snacks.  A spokesperson assured me that no Bears were harmed in the making of these products.  You can enjoy some free samples of Bear Naked’s all-natural granola and granola yogurt parfaits at each of these events, plus others scheduled in Colorado this summer.  For a complete list that is updated often to include new events, visit blog.bearnaked.com.

Bear Naked tour ambassadors will be on hand at the Bear Naked branded tents at these events to discuss different aspects of nutrition and how to fuel your body with healthy snacks.

At the Teva games, Bear Naked will also set up the Bear Naked Adventure Village, an interactive, family-friendly area where everyone can experience the excitement of the Games by jumping in a kay tank, scaling a pop-up climbing wall or partaking in many other sports showcased at the Games.

Please:  no streaking.  Bare Naked visitors to the Bear Naked tent will not be served free samples.