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

Colorado School of Mines Football

With four games remaining, the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers football team has racked up a record of five wins in a row after two losses in their first two games.  We got to sneak away from the inn for a few hours earlier in the season to see them play and had a great time amid the high energy that goes with a college football game.  We sat near the band, which brought back memories of my high school band days (thousands of years ago...).

The stadium is only six blocks from our inn, so it's an easy walk on a lovely fall afternoon.  The mountain backdrop makes for an exceptional setting to watch a game, and Golden's generally mild fall weather is perfect for being outdoors for an afternoon.

If you're thinking an NCAA Division II football game would be a nice way to spend an afternoon this fall, Mines will play Chadron State at noon on October 24, 2009.  They'll play New Mexico Highlands at noon on November 7, 2009.

We're corporate sponsors of the Mines Athletic Department because we believe in the importance of college athletics, and we're pleased to support the wonderful programs at the Colorado School of Mines.  We've had the privilege of meeting so many Mines student athletes when they or their families have stayed at our inn, and they're just excellent kids: smart, focused, personable, and a pleasure to know. 

Other fall sports at Mines are cross country, men's soccer, volleyball, and women's soccer.

Thanks for reading my Innkeeper's blog!

Annette