Olde Golden Christmas: Activities for Everyone in Historic Downtown Golden, Colorado

Holiday time in Golden is always special, and this year's holiday calendar is loaded with events for everyone.  Here are some of the upcoming activities. (For additional information, call the Golden Visitors Center, (303) 279-3113.)

Theater: Miners Alley Playhouse presents It's A Wonderful Life! A 1940s Radio Play. Through Dec. 20. (303) 935-3044

Heritage Square Music Hall features The Haunted Man, an adaptation of Charles Dickens's last Christmas book.  Through Dec. 31.  (303) 279-7800

Golden High School's Stage Right Productions will present A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Nov. 19-21. (303) 982-4229

North Pole Golden: Bring your letters to Santa's mailbox at the Golden Visitors Center through Dec. 11th to have them answered by Santa. (303) 279-3113

Holiday Art Market: At the Foothills Art Center -- displays works by nearly 200 Colorado artists. Unique arts and fine crafts for gift giving, through Dec. 30.  (303) 279-3922

Holiday Open House: Nov. 20, 21 and 22, 10 am to 6 pm. Merchants in historic downtown Golden will extend their hours and offer special sales, refreshments, and entertainment. Free horsedrawn carriage rides all weekend, noon to 4 pm. (303) 279-3113

Holiday Boutique: Nov. 21, 10 am to 10 pm, at the Buffalo Rose Event Center.  20 different vendors offering holiday gifts. (303) 278-6800

Candlelight Walk: Dec. 4, 6 pm. Gather at the Foothills Art Center for caroling and hot beverages. Buy your candle for $.50 from the Golden Chamber of Commerce. Walk as a group through downtown Golden at 6:30 pm, ending at the Visitors Center, where hot beverages, cookies and eggnog will be served. For the kids: live reindeer petting in the Visitors Center parking lot and a puppet show. In conjunction with the Candlelight Walk, there will be caroling by several groups and refreshments at many downtown businesses.  The Golden Library will have a holiday book sale, refreshments and entertainment. This is a fabulous evening! (303) 279-3113

Olde Golden Christmas on Parade: Dec. 5, 12 and 19, 11 am. This is a true old fashioned hometown parade with Santa. There will also be free horsedrawn carriage rides (also offered on Dec. 6, 13 and 20) and Newfoundland dog cart rides, as well as special events at many downtown businesses and museums. (303) 279-3113

Breakfast with Santa: Dec. 12 ($8 - reservations required). At the Buffalo Rose Event Center.


This is just a brief summary of all the cool holiday activities Golden will feature this year. Pick up an Olde Golden Christmas brochure from any business or from the Visitors Center, or call the Center at (303) 279-3113 for more complete information.

Hope to see you in Golden this holiday season! Thanks for reading my innkeeper's blog.
Annette
Dove Inn Bed & Breakfast
(303) 278-2209

Miner's Alley Playhouse: New Play Opens November 13, 2009

Miner's Alley Playhouse in Golden, Colorado, is getting ready for the opening of their next play, It's A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play, on Friday, November 13.  They're offering an Early Bird Special, too: purchase your tickets by Monday, November 9, for performances on November 13-15 or 20-22, and you'll receive $3 off each ticket.  Visit their website for details. 

Miner's Alley Playhouse stages high-quality theater in an intimate setting.  It's always a pleasure to attend their productions.

Check out our website: Dove Inn Bed and Breakfast, Golden, Colorado, and thanks for reading my Innkeeper's Blog.

Annette

Sherpa House Restaurant - Himalayan Food in Downtown Golden

Last week, during our October snowstorm, we trudged two blocks through the snow (I think it was only one foot deep at that point -- by the end of the next day it was two feet deep) to the Sherpa House Restaurant and Cultural Center, one of our favorite eating places in downtown Golden.  (The picture of the restaurant was taken on a more typical fall day in Golden.) 

Hearty Himalayan food from the "top of the world" seemed like the only possible choice on a night when winter had come way too early (although we also think it's a good choice on spring days, summer days, and fall days...).  They serve Sherpa and Tibetan entrees (Sherpa means "people from the east," as the Sherpas are originally from Tibet), as well as Nepali and Indian dishes.  (The picture below is of Lhakpa, the owner, in traditional dress serving his yak chili at the recent chili cookoff in Golden.)

Lhakpa Sherpa and his family have done an amazing job of converting a brick house built around 1900 into a representation of a typical Sherpa house in the Solu-Khumbu region of Nepal.  One dining room is set up as a traditional family living area with kitchen.  Shelves and hooks display the implements of everyday life, and the focal point of the room is the hearth that would provide both heat and cooking in the traditional home.  Another dining room contains an ornate Bhuddist shrine.  Yet another is a gallery with gorgeous photos of the Himalayas.  The Sun Room has windows that can be opened up if the weather is fine, to provide a close-to-outdoors dining experience, and the large patio at the back of the house is available for enjoying our 300 days of sunshine a year. 

The setting isn't simply a backdrop to the dining experience at the Sherpa House.  The staff is always ready to answer questions about the Sherpa culture and history, about Nepal, and about the cuisine.  They treat their customers with friendly hospitality, as if they really were welcoming us into their home.

On this particular night, we started with cauliflower Pakoda, battered deep-fried cauliflower. The batter is light and the taste of the cauliflower isn't masked by breading or grease.  Bill had chicken Tikka sizzlers: marinated chicken pieces served with onions on a sizzling skillet.  I had chicken Thukpa: a huge bowl of soup swimming with chicken, fat noodles, and crunchy vegetables, served with Naan, a flatbread cooked in a traditional clay oven.  We also tried their Chai this time, and it was beautifully spiced.

On past visits we've enjoyed their Momo (dumplings filled with meat or vegetables -- very similar to Chinese dumplings), their Daal (or lentil) soup, many different varieties of Naan (the cheese Naan and onion Naan, particularly), their wonderful yak stew (they also do variations with vegetable, beef, lamb, or a combination of meats), chicken Bindalu (spicy chicken curry), and Saag Paneer (delicately spiced spinach with cheese and cream).  The dishes are mildly spiced, but they'll crank up the heat for you if you ask.

They have traditional Nepali beverages and desserts, as well as beer on tap from our local microbrewery, the Golden City Brewery, and a selection of wines.

Their full menus for lunch and dinner are on their website, as are pictures of the Sherpa family, their staff, some of the dishes they serve, and the dining rooms.  There is a map, as well.

They're located at 1518 Washington Avenue in downtown Golden, just two blocks from the Dove Inn Bed and Breakfast.

Thanks for reading my Innkeeper's Blog.
Annette

Halloween Crazy Days in Golden

Golden's Downtown Merchants Association sponsors a Trick or Treat for local kids every year, and it's always fun to give out candy and see the youngsters in costume.  Bill has a Sorting Hat and I have a Professor McGonagall hat (I have fabric to make robes, but I haven't quite gotten around to that yet...), so we get into costume (sort of), grab our wands, and stand out on the sidewalk in front of the inn with our witch's cauldron of candy.

This year we were visited by many superheroes, witches, death spirits, assorted animals, and princesses.  We also saw a couple of Gryffendors, a lot of pirates, and a corgi in a bun with mustard.  It had been beautiful all day, so our 2 feet of snow was pretty much melting by the time the kids started coming.  It was very windy, though, so Bill finally gave up trying to keep his Sorting Hat on and replaced it with a Colorado Rockies hat.  He told people he was dressed as a World Series Wannabe.

Check out our Dove Inn Bed & Breakfast website, and thanks for reading my Innkeeper's Blog.
Annette

Music, Geology, Trains and A Play in Golden This Weekend

While we have a winter storm warning for Wednesday, by the weekend it will be sunny and beautiful in Golden once again.  There are several special events you might want to consider coming to Golden for.

Thursday and Friday, October 29th and 30th:  Nina Storey returns for live performances at 8 p.m. at our local winery, Vintner's Cellar.  Tickets: $25 advance/$30 door; VIP Single $50 includes 1 ticket/1 bottle wine/cheese plate; VIP Couple $80 includes 2 tickets/1 bottle wine/gourmet plate.  Space is limited, so don't wait till the last minute to get your tickets.

Friday, October 30th:  Rocks above the Clouds  Join Jack Reed, Emeritus Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey for a nontechnical discussion of how the Colorado Mountains came to be, and how understanding the geology of the various peaks and ranges can enhance your appreciation of the diverse mountain scenery, as well as helping you appreciate the difficulties and hazards that they present to the hiker, peak-bagger, and technical climber. Ages 10 – adult. 7:00 p.m. Lookout Mountain Nature Center. To register visit http://www.lmnc.jeffco.us/ or call 720-497-7600.

Saturday, October 31:  Special Train Rides at the Colorado Railroad Museum  Ride in the Goose No. 7 or in a 19th century passenger coach pulled by Locomotive No. 4. Every Saturday, weather permitting, with departures every 20 minutes. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Train fare: $4 Adults/Seniors, $2 Children. 

 

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 30th - November 1:  Last weekend to see A Picasso at Miner's Alley Playhouse  And they're running a Halloween special: come to the performance on Saturday not dressed in a costume, mention this offer, and get $3 off your ticket.  Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.  For reservations call 303-935-3044.
 
And, of course, Golden's shops, museums, restaurants, and outdoor activities will all be here this weekend, as well.  For a more complete list of Golden's events, go to http://www.golden.com/. 
 
Check out our Dove Inn website, and thanks for reading my innkeeper's blog.
Annette

Woody's Pizza in Golden is Going Solar

Our neighbor just around the corner, The Original Woody's Wood-Fired Pizza, makes some of the very best pizza in Golden, Colorado.  Along with New Belgium Brewery and the Golden Bike Shop, Woody's hosts a community bicycle ride the last Tuesday of each month, from April through October, in which participants of all ages ride through our beautiful downtown and participate in festivities at the restaurant.  And one lucky person wins a brand-new cruiser bike after the ride.

This Tuesday's ride (October 27, 2009 - festivities start at 6 p.m., ride starts at 7 p.m.) is the final one of the season and the occasion for Woody's to unveil a new 48-panel solar array that will make them the first business in downtown Golden to “go solar.”  The locally owned and operated restaurant plans to demonstrate that “going green” is not just good for the environment, but great for business. Their new solar photovoltaic system is expected to offset 27,889 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, and was made possible through the assistance of Xcel Energy, the Golden Urban Renewal Authority, Buglet Solar, and Federal tax incentives.

Many businesses in Golden, including our inn, have been steadily implementing environmentally-friendly changes in recent years, and the City of Golden made sustainability its top priority in 2007.  It's great to see this big step forward on the part of one of our downtown businesses.

Woody's is expecting over 200 riders in full Halloween costume to attend this month's community ride.  It should be a fun night for their solar launch.  Come by if you're in town!

Thanks for reading my Innkeeper's Blog.
Annette
Dove Inn Bed & Breakfast

Golden Chili Cookoff -- A Great Time in Parkas!

Golden's Annual Knock Your Boots Off Beer Tasting and Chili Cookoff last Saturday (October 10, 2009) was one of those fabulous events that our Chamber knows how to do so well.  Sixty beers were available for tasting, and sixty-one chili cookers served over 32,000 samples of chili to the 2,500 attendees who braved the unseasonably cold weather we had last weekend.  (Of course, today it's in the 60s, and this weekend will be in the 70s -- but that's Colorado Front Range weather in the fall.)

We managed to take a couple hours away from our inn to walk over to the event, which was three blocks away.  (Our location in historic downtown Golden is so close to everything that goes on here!)  We tried antelope chili made by Cheryl who works at the optometrist's office just across the alley from us; we tried yak chili made by the great folks who run the Sherpa House restaurant two blocks up Washington Avenue from us; we tried red chili from the Golden Skillet restaurant two blocks away from us.  Two candidates for city council cooked up chili as part of their campaigns.  Fortune Valley Casino in nearby Blackhawk had Elvises (ableit with facial hair) serving their chili.  Paul and Perri from the fabulous Cody Inn on top of Lookout Mountain were there with gourmet chili.  A group that included a School of Mines student from Brazil who had stayed with us at the inn was serving Brazilian chili.  There were so many great chilis to sample that it was very hard to vote for the best one.

In between tastes of chili, we sampled beer from New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Flying Dog Brewery, Oskar Blues (which makes great beers in the little town of Lyons, CO, and who pioneered putting microbrews in cans, rather than bottles), Alaskan Brewery, and others.  There was a wide variety of beers for every taste.

Think about marking your calendars for next October to visit Golden during the chili cookoff.  It's one of those wonderful small-town events we do so well -- just plain good old fashioned fun.  I'll keep you updated on next year's cookoff as information becomes available.

Thanks for reading my Innkeeper's blog!

Annette