Insider 2023

PRESENTS

The Premier Guide to the Pikes Peak Region

LIVE WHERE YOU LOVE.

WHERE THE MOUNTAINS MEET THE CITY

Gold Hill Mesa is nestled atop 21st Street, minutes from Downtown and Old Colorado City – boasting breathtaking views of the city to the east and incomparable rugged beauty to the west. Blended into the panorama of the city’s west side, stylish homes painted in vivid colors and crafted in distinctive architectural character adorn the tree-lined streets. Outdoor shared spaces and front yard landscaping are enhance the neighborhood’s vibrant personality. Residents can revel in Colorado’s active lifestyle with immediate access to many favorite dog parks, hiking and biking trails, or seek adventures when traveling west on HW 24 toward Pikes Peak and beyond.

DISCOVER GOLD HILL MESA

Walk through streets marked by distinct homes with colorful elevations, welcoming front porches and artful outdoor living spaces. See yourself being part of a diverse and wonderful community, imagine being home at Gold Hill Mesa

We invite you to stop by or learn more at GoldHillMesa.com

As a Social

business of Kids on Bikes, we are committed to promoting health and wellness through bicycling.

Insider

Sixty35 Media Board

PRESIDENT: Ahriana Platten

VICE PRESIDENT: Dave Gardner

TREASURER: Fran Zankowski

SECRETARY: Ralph Routon

EX OFFICIO: John Weiss

Our mission is to deliver the truth, build community and engage citizens.

COVER PHOTO BY Bryan Oller

DESIGN BY Dustin Glatz

MADE BY HUMANS

EDITORIAL

INTERIM CO-PUBLISHERS

Ahriana Platten, Ralph Routon

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bryan Grossman

MANAGING EDITORS

Helen Lewis, Mary Jo Meade

CONTRIBUTORS Greta Anderson Johns, Tim Bergsten, Bob Falcone, Matt Schniper, Rhonda Van Pelt, Loring Wirbel

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Bryan Oller

SALES

AD DIRECTOR Teri Homick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Felicia Anzaldúa, Betty Butron-Smith, Viktoria Costantino, Monty Hatch

ART AND PRODUCTION

CONTRIBUTING GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Dustin Glatz, Elena Trapp

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Zk Bradley, Rowdy Tompkins

OPERATIONS

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Lanny Adams

ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT Kim Erdmann

DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

Sean Cassady

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Don Bouchard

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER

Jessica McMullen

MARKETING & EVENT DIRECTOR

Tracie Woods

Email us:

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Sixty35 is published weekly by Sixty35 Media, Ahriana Platten and Ralph Routon, copublishers, 235 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.

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Sixty35 is published every Thursday and is available through specific mail carrier routes throughout El Paso County, with an additional 10,000 on the street. Want to receive the print version at home every week? Never miss an issue — subscribe or become a member for early delivery to your inbox: sixty35media.org.

A

RTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEIS ALL THE

rage. Everywhere you look, it’s AI this and AI that.

“AI, plan my meals this week...”

“AI, illustrate for me a hyper-realistic mashup of Dwayne Johnson and SpongeBob SquarePants...”

“AI, please don’t destroy my livelihood. Ha... (No really, please?)”

Sorry, I don’t play with fire. Call me a Luddite, but I’m staying away from that GPT techno-witchcraft. I researched and wrote this introduction the way our forefathers approached their ancillary tabloids: with good ol’ hamster-powered Google.

My first step: I entered “insider” into my personal googleator and discovered that this is “a person within a group or organization, especially someone privy to information unavailable to others.”

Egads! I knew I was getting somewhere... But would lightning strike my googler twice?

I cleared my throat, cracked my knuckles and, with shaking hands, carefully tapped “privy” using my device’s letter boxes. After just 15 minutes, my omniscient

CONTENTS

PRIMER

8 You are here: A primer

12 Tourist magnets: Stuff to do

14 Fun & games: Calendar of events

CANNABIS

18 Mar y Jane lives here: Weed

NICE DIGS ................................... 20

RECREATION

23 Get on outside! But be prepared

26 Runner’s high: Tips and trials

28 Trail Mix: Helpful resources

29 Woof!!!:Freedom for Fido

desktop soothsayer responded — it’s a toilet located in a small shed outside a house or other building.

Mmm hmm...

Hey, where are you going? I haven’t made my point yet! You see, during the many moons I’ve spent gathering background for this piece, I’ve come to realize we don’t need fancy AI or slightly less fancy google machines when we have the Insider guide.

Why? Because, like the internet, Insider contains all the information ever compiled by humans!

Sorry? Oh, our attorneys have advised us not to say things like that. And they’re also getting Google on the landline?

Where were we?

Our lawyers did say I can tell you Insider has a lot of good info about the Pikes Peak region. And no trolls. So if you live around here (I know you do — I googled it), then enjoy this publication about all kinds of local stuff. And know it was written and compiled entirely by humans.

Bryan Grossman Executive Editor

CULTURE

30 Artists onstage: Theater and dance

32 The galler y ecosystem: Artists at work

34 It’s alive!: Music is all the way back

37 Words among friends: For readers/ writers/speakers

FOOD AND DRINK

38 Around the world: International eateries

45 Gold winners: The best food and drink

YOU ARE HERE

Answers to basic questions, and generally what makes this place tick

BY SIXTY35 STAFF

YOU’RE HERE IN COLorado Springs as a resident or a visitor, and either way we’re sure you have questions. Like, why isn’t there a turn signal at Platte and Nevada, where Gen. Palmer’s statue turns traffic into a demolition derby? Why is public transport so sparse here? Why was the Springs once known as “the hate city in the hate state”? What is TABOR and why should I care? Well, we’re here to provide answers to these questions and more in our annual Insider primer on life in the Springs and the Pikes Peak region...

Beginnings

Rather than kick this thing off with the human story, let’s first find out where the city’s been over the past 750 million years — go to tinyurl.com/Insider-where, type in “Colorado Springs” and travel forward in time to see how the city has moved about on the planet. Cool, right? OK, now we’ll talk about the people.

The region was first home to the Ute, Arapaho, Cheyenne and other indigenous people who knew Pikes Peak as Tava, or “Sun Mountain.” Once they had been forced from their land onto reservations, the area was open for development. (A lot of long-time residents feel like developers still run this city — note Downtown’s new Soviet brutalist apartment buildings — but that’s a story for another time.)

Pikes Peak is named for explorer Zebulon Pike who actually failed to climb the mountain in 1806 (they were up to their waist in snow on Mount Rosa, hadn’t eaten for two days and turned back).

British explorer and travel writer George Ruxton spent time here in the 1840s, and we recommend that you read his autobiographical

U.S. Air Force Academy, graduation 2021

Ute Chief Buckskin Charlie

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Courtesy

U.S. Air Force Academy

Ruxton of the Rockies to get the feel of the place before it was shrouded in Victorian chintz.

The first settlement, liberally sprinkled with brothels and saloons, was Colorado City, founded in 1859 to supply prospectors headed up Ute Pass to make their fortunes in the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. The town was annexed by its more genteel neighbor to the east in two pieces, the final one in 1917, and now is generally referred to as the city’s Westside.

Gen. William Jackson Palmer, who founded the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1870, acquired land to build his Western resort town, Fountain Colony (later Colorado Springs), along its route. He’s also responsible for festooning this wild place in the aforementioned chintz — so much so that it was known as “Little London.” Anyhow, the city was established a year later and became a haven for “lungers,” patients suffering from tuberculosis, who came for our sunny days and especially the clean, dry air that was thought to dry out the moisture in their lungs and make breathing easier.

These days the city is home to roughly 493,000 souls, with a metro-area population of 693,000. Economic drivers include defense and aerospace, health care, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, sports and tourism.

Like every other American city, it has its share of drivethru squat-and-gobbles and big-box stores, but despite the city fathers’ efforts in the 1960s and ’70s to raze as many historical buildings as possible, you can still find lovingly preserved homes and public buildings Downtown and on The Old North End and the Westside.

The history buffs among you should definitely visit the (free) Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (cspm.org) and check out Pikes Peak Library District’s (also free) Regional History and Genealogy offerings (ppld.org/regional-history-andgenealogy).

Who does what, where?

There’s some confusion over what makes up the Pikes Peak region. Though it’s not a formal government designation, it refers generally to El Paso, Teller and Park counties, though continued on p. 10 ➔

photo courtesy of Norwood

A Pikes Peak prospector at home

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

some add Pueblo County to that list and others only include Teller and El Paso.

Colorado Springs is the center of government for El Paso County, which is governed by a board of five commissioners elected to represent districts whose boundaries are reestablished every two years by the commissioners themselves, which some believe is why there hasn’t been a Democrat on the board since the 1970s, though that too is a story for another time.

Over on the city side, things are run by a mayor and a nine-member City Council, six elected to represent Council districts and three at-large members. Councilmembers double as board members for city-owned Colorado Springs Utilities, which handles gas, electricity, water and wastewater.

City and county governments both handle stormwater work, snow plowing and road repair, and sheriff’s deputies and cops with Colorado Springs Police Department also cover a lot of the same turf. They run their own park systems, though with the county overseeing big regional parks including Bear Creek, Fountain Creek, Homestead Ranch and Fox Run regional parks. The city takes care of everything from tiny pocket parks to big ones, like the almost-too-popular Garden of the Gods Park and Cheyenne Cañon Park.

Questions answered OK, about the traffic mess swirling around Gen. Palmer’s statue and why there’s no leftturn light?

We have no clue. Seems like a no-brainer to us.

Next, why is public transportation so sparse here?

A big part of the answer is the city’s gigantic footprint and, of course money. San Francisco sits on 47 square miles but Colorado Springs sprawls over 195 square miles (and is still entertaining pleas for annexation from surrounding developments that mainly would like to connect to the city’s water supply).

It would take a small fortune to run buses or light rail over all of that turf, and while the Mountain Metro Transit system isn’t anything like those you’ll find in major metro areas, it is possible to live here without a car. It’s not pretty, but it’s doable.

Why was the Springs once known as “the hate city in the hate state”?

It started with a proposed 1992 amendment to the Colorado Constitution, which originated with Springs Christian evangelical groups including Colorado for Family Values, led by Springs car dealer Will Perkins, and others.

It reads:

Shall there be an amendment to Article II of the Colorado Constitution to prohibit the state of Colorado and any of its political subdivisions from adopting or enforcing any law or policy which provides that homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual orientation, conduct, or relationships constitutes or entitles a person to claim any minority or protected status, quota preferences, or discrimination?

Translating the stilted ballot language, it meant that LGBTQ people in Colorado should not have protected minority status under the law.

The initiative passed statewide with 53.4 percent of the vote and in El Paso County, where 65.9 percent of voters supported it.

National civil rights organizations joined celebrities in launching a boycott of Colorado focused on tourism — especially targeting “ground zero” Colorado Springs, where hotels lost over 50 conventions. Local opposition included the establishment of the Colorado Springs Independent in 1993.

The United States Supreme Court declared Amendment 2 unconstitutional in 1996.

What is TABOR and why should I care?

The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights is a 1992 constitutional amendment that caps the amount of tax money governments in Colorado can keep and spend. That includes the state,

Tejon Street looking south with Cheyenne Mountain in the distance, ca. 1890 (left); looking west on Pikes Peak Avenue to The Antlers hotel in 1927.

B.H. Gurnsey (left), Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

counties, cities, special districts and schools. This has made it difficult for these entities to budget and makes saving for a rainy day very nearly impossible.

TABOR mandates voter approval for any new taxes and sets limits on revenue growth, while excess money is refunded to taxpayers. And while the refunds can come in handy — last year it was a whopping $750! — for sanity’s sake we refer you back to that “rainy day” thing.

More questions answered

Where does all the city’s new open space come from? Springs voters approved the Trails, Open Space and Parks tax back in 1997. It’s one cent on every $10 purchase, which these days adds up to about $11 million a year. Since the beginning, the TOPS project has saved over 7,500 acres of open space, built 50 miles of trail and improved or constructed 66 city parks. TOPS money saved the very popular Red Rock Canyon Open Space on the city’s Westside, which was being considered as the site of a resort and convention center.

Why are some of the streets on the Old North End so peculiarly wide?

Springs founder Gen. William Palmer hired a fellow named Robert A. Cameron (he’d already helped plan Greeley) to lay out his new town. Those were horse-and-wagon days, and Cameron made streets 100 to 140 feet wide — wide enough to turn an eight-horse carriage. The tree-filled medians we see today, including those on North Nevada and North Wahsatch avenues, were added in the early 20th century.

Is it true that the song “America the Beautiful” was written here?

Yep. American poet and professor Katharine Lee Bates spent the summer of 1893 teaching at Colorado College and trekked to the summit of Pikes Peak. Overcome by the beauty of the vistas, she wrote what would become the famous song, and the namesake of one of the city’s favorite Downtown parks (tinyurl.com/Insider-AmericaTheBeautiful).

And you know you want to know: Can I raise goats in my backyard?

Yes, you can, if the goats weigh under 100 pounds when full-grown (pygmy or dwarf goats) and you have four or less.

(See tinyurl.com/Insider-critters for more animal-related info.)

The summit of Pikes Peak, 1901

TOURIST MAGNETS

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

cmzoo.org

“Every Kid. Every Time. Goosebumps.” That’s the mountainside zoo’s vision for all families who come to visit. For the past seven years, it’s ranked among the very finest North American zoos in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, coming in fourth overall in the 2023 poll, with its Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit placing second among zoo exhibits. The peak experience for visitors of all ages is hand-feeding the giraffe herd, though Nile hippopotamus calf Omo is also a crowd-pleaser, with his very own YouTube play list (tinyurl.com/cmz-Omohippo).

Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center

coloradosprings.gov/drivepikespeak

It’s the realization of a decades-old dream — a state-of-the-art visitor center replacing the humble ’60s structure where tourists bought donuts to commemorate their ascent by car or cog or on foot. ( very first summit house: tinyurl.com/Insider-summit

The 38,000-square-foot facility, which opened in June 2021, features interpretive exhibits, a gift shop, massive windows for sheltered viewing, trails and stopping points outside, and the traditional donuts — now with more flavor choices!

The Cog Railway

cograilway.com

The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway takes visitors from its depot in Manitou Springs up to the new summit visitor center,mentary on geology and history along the way. A one-way trip takes an hour and 10 minutes and -

mit before heading back down, hours.

Note: Altitude sickness is real. The summit sits 14,115 feet above sea level, which means you

entation or lightheadedness. Drink plenty of water. Then drink some more. But remember, there are no restrooms on the trains (Catch-22, right?).

Pikes Peak Highway

tinyurl.com/Insider-PPhighway

It’s 19 miles of breathtaking views, with pull-offs that let you stop to ooh and ahh and take selfies. If you’re lucky, you might spot yellow-bellied marmots and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep as you cruise up through four life zones. On the way, tune in to the audio driving tour (coloradosprings.gov/travelstoryspikespeak).

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

usopm.org

Twelve immersive galleries — in 60,000 square feet— full of Olympic artifacts and interactive exhibits. And it’s one of the world’s most accessible museums, providing “open captions, audio-description tracks, assisted listening, universal keypads, RFID-triggered customizations, accessible exhibit spaces with ramped experiences.” Through the Athlete Training gallery’s interactive demonstrations, you can test your skills at alpine skiing, skeleton, sled hockey, archery, the 30-meter dash and goalball.

BY SIXTY35 STAFF

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

Richard Bittles

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

cspm.org

Downtown in the lovingly preserved 1902 El Paso County Courthouse, you will find the story of the Springs told through the museum’s exhibits, objects and collections. To help get your bearings, check out The Story of Us: The Pikes Peak Region from A to Z, which lets you “learn about the people, places and events that make our region unique. Navigate dynamic maps that allow you to go back in time to understand how neighborhoods, businesses, climate and transportation have shaped our community.”

Garden of the Gods

Visitor & Nature Center

gardenofgods.com

An estimated 4 million visitors trek to Garden of the Gods’ towering spires each year, and a great place to learn about them is the visitor center that

The John May Museum

coloradospringsbugmuseum.com

You’ll know you’ve arrived when you spot Herkimer, an enormous rep lica of a male Dynastes Hercules sitting at the entrance on Highway 115. (The real deal can be 9 inches long and weigh half a pound.) There are 7,000 specimens on view, “everything from giant tropical insects and spiders to thousands of colorful butterflies and moths... squishy beetles, gigantic spiders and deadly scorpions.”

National Museum of World War II Aviation

worldwariiaviation.org

The museum’s 109,000 square feet of space houses a blend of “artifacts, archival material, interpretive narratives, maps and audio-visual systems; all intertwined with the museum’s collection of flying World War II-era aircraft.” You can pay a little extra for a docent-led tour or make your own way

collection of fluorescent minerals,” an interactive exhibit on the history of U.S. mining, a walk-through mine drift (an underground mine), and their massive

money-museum); Manitou Springs Heritage Center (manitouspringsheritagecenter.org); Cave of the Winds Mountain Park (caveofthewinds.com);

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

National Museum of World War II Aviation Bryan Oller

FUN & GAMES

APRIL

Shorts Night

April 14 | Stargazers Theatre, 10 S. Parkside Drive, rmwfilm.org/shorts-night

From Rocky Mountain Women’s Film: A night of “quirky, amusing, provocative, and insightful” short films from around the world. Dinner is optional; popcorn’s free.

Black Panther in Concert

April 14-15 | Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., tinyurl.com/CSP-Panther

Colorado Springs Philharmonic will perform the Oscar-winning score to Marvel Studios’ Black Panther

Women’s Theatre Festival

Through April 21 | Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St., themat.org

“A festival of new short works by Colorado Women playwrights and performance artists. This year’s festival is based on the theme ‘Travelers – From Here to There.’”

April 22 | DoubleTree by Hilton, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd., hsppr.org/events/ fur-ball-2023

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region wants you to dress up in “your best prom attire” and pretend it’s still the ’80s! The evening comes with a gourmet dinner, silent and live auctions, and a parade of adoptable animals.

Drag Show FUNraiser and Story Time

April 23 | City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St., lilmissstoryhour.com

Lil’ Miss Story Hour’s annual spring celebration includes a drag show, games, a treasure hunt, stories, silent disco and silent art auction — and your choice of feather boa or tiara!

Monster Jam

April 28-30 | Broadmoor World Arena, 3185 Venetucci Blvd., broadmoorworldarena.com

An adrenaline-junkie’s weekend of drivers and their 6-ton monster trucks tearing up the dirt in contests of speed and skill.

Fur Ball: “Pittie in Pink”

Stuff to do this spring and summer in the Pikes Peak region

Pikes Peak Pride

Cha Wa | MeadowGrass Music Festival

Dwayne Hodgson

MAY

Cañon City’s Music & Blossom Festival

May 3-7 | Cañon City, ccblossomfestival.com

This 85th annual spring fest features a parade, carnival, rodeo and high school, middle school and junior high band competitions and performances.

GameCon XVI

May 6 | Janitell Junior High, Fountain, gamecon.info

This tabletop gaming convention for Pikes Peak region students in grades 6-12 features role-playing games, tournaments, cosplay, authors and special guests, vendors, and more.

Run to the Shrine

May 20-21 | 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road, tinyurl.com/cmz-run23

A 4-mile run (or walk) through Cheyenne Mountain Zoo — up about 1,000 feet — to Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun and back down again.

MeadowGrass Music Festival

May 26-28 | La Foret Conference & Retreat Center, 6145 Shoup Road, rockymountainhighway.org

Three days of live music, camping, kids’ activities, beer, yoga and more.

Territory Days

May 27-29 | Old Colorado City, shopoldcoloradocity.com

A Memorial Day tradition in Old Colorado City, with live music, food, craft booths, cowboy church, pony rides, kids’ play area, toy train rides, two beer gardens, gold panning and a mechanical bull.

JUNE

Manitou Springs Colorado Wine Festival

June 3 | Memorial Park, 502 Manitou Ave., manitousprings.org/manitou-springs-colorado-wine-festival

Sip Colorado-made wines, meads and glögg in the park while you enjoy live music and nosh at food trucks.

Pikes Peak Pride

June 10-11 | 215 S. Tejon St., pikespeakpride.org

Honoring and celebrating the achievements of the Pikes Peak region’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. Features “high-energy entertainment,” food trucks and a beer garden, with a parade on Sunday.

Juneteenth Festival

June 16-18 | America the Beautiful Park, 126 Cimino Drive, csjuneteenthfestival.com

A free, family-friendly celebration of community featuring live music, 719 Poetry, a fashion show, Lil’ Miss Story Hour, a health fair, car show and more.

Pollinator Party Day

June 24 | Bud Ford Pavilion, Soda Springs Park, Manitou Springs, manitoupollinators.org

Manitou Pollinators will honor National Pollinator Week (June 19-25) with a pollinator party from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. showcasing their inaugural Honeypalooza honey tasting contest for Front Range beekeepers. Buzz right in for free expert advice on gardening, beekeeping, composting and more, and stick around for the live music, food and vendors.

Colorado Springs Western Street Breakfast June 21 | Downtown, cswesternstreetbreakfast.com

Breakfast, Pikes Peak Range Riders and their horses, Kids Corral, the Lil’ Cowboys and Cowgirls Round-Up costume contest, live music, Native American dancers and more.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

June 25 | Pikes Peak, ppihc.org

The yearly motorsports race to the summit of Pikes Peak — 12.42 miles (and 156 corners) to the 14,115-foot summit.

Moonlight on the Mountain June 29 | Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 1250 Cheyenne Zoo Road, cmzoo.org/events

Adults-only time at the zoo, an evening of beer, wine and spirits sampling and food from local restaurants. Plus, there will be live music and dancing under the stars.

Green Box Arts Festival

June 30-July 15 | various venues, Green Mountain Falls, greenboxarts.org/arts-festival

“A multi-week, multi-disciplinary cornucopia of arts performances, exhibitions, classes, camps, conversations and parties. Spend a day, a weekend, or the entire festival exploring the best of the contemporary arts with us each summer.”

JULY

Family Fourth

July 4 | Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site , 3105 Gateway Road, rockledgeranch.com/event/ family-fourth-2

With fresh watermelon, ice cream and a pie-eating contest, wagon rides, music from the Pikes Peak Brass Band and Strings and Things dulcimer band, carnival games, the Seven Falls Indian Dancers, a Civil War encampment re-enactment, historic speeches by Gen. Palmer, Theodore Roosevelt and Susan B. Anthony, and more.

Pollinator Party Day

Fur Ball: “Pittie in Pink”

Star Spangled Symphony & July 4th Block Party

July 4 | Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., coloradospringssports.org/4th-of-july

Indoor concert by Colorado Springs Philharmonic (livestreamed outside) and a street party with a beer garden, food vendors, yard games and more.

The Taming of the Shrew

July 6-30 | Ent Center, 5225 N. Nevada Ave., entcenterforthearts.org/theatreworks

UCCS’ Theatreworks does Shakespeare — “Will’s original battle of wills, staged in an Elizabethan England every bit as stylized and strict as we always imagine it, with one key difference: This society is a matriarchy.”

Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Days

July 11-15 | Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road, pikespeakorbust.org

Contestants from the U.S., Canada and Mexico will test their skills at bareback riding, breakaway roping, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding.

El Paso County Fair

July 15-22 | 366 10th St., Calhan, elpasocountyfair.com

What started as a potato festival in 1905 has become the quintessential summertime county fair, with funnel cakes, 4-H shows, carnival rides, a tractor pull, demolition derby, bull riding, and much more.

Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival

July 21-22 | Cañon City, royalgorgewhitewaterfestival.com

Whitewater competitions and dry land recreational pursuits based in historic Cañon City. It’s a family-friendly summer party with plenty of boats, live music and beer.

World Jump Rope Championships

July 16-23 | Ed Robson Arena, 849 N. Tejon St., ijru.sport

With “3,000 athletes, coaches and officials participating from more than 30 countries,” the event combines the World Championships, the International Open Tournament and the Junior World Championships.

Tails, Tunes & Tastes

July 27 and Aug. 31 | 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road, tinyurl.com/CMZ-tunes

“A magical evening on the mountain, exclusively reserved for those age 21 and up,” with libations and unlimited small plates.

AUGUST

Mountain Arts Festival

Aug. 12-13 | Memorial Park, 200 N. Park St., Woodland Park, themountainartists.org

Juried works from Colorado and national artists that traditionally include jewelry, woodwork, photography, pottery, metalwork and fiber art.

Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb

Aug. 12 | Pikes Peak, coloradospringssports. org/cycletothesummit

A USA Cycling-sanctioned bicycle race up Pikes Peak with competitive, gran fondo and e-bike categories to accommodate cyclists of all skill levels.

Donkey Derby Days

Aug. 11-13 | Downtown Cripple Creek, visitcripplecreek.com

A parade, races, vendors and a beer tent are basic components of this annual homage to the town’s resident donkey herd that, legend has it, are descended from those who worked alongside miners during Cripple Creek’s Gold Rush days.

Manitou Springs Heritage Brew Festival

Aug. 19 | Memorial Park, 502 Manitou Ave., manitouspringsheritagecenter.org/ heritagebrewfest

An afternoon of (unlimited) craft beer tastings from 20+ breweries, along with live music and vittles from local vendors.

Colorado Springs Comic Con

Aug. 25-27 | Broadmoor World Arena, 3185 Venetucci Blvd., cscomiccon.com

Three days of sensory overload of the pop culture variety, including a cosplay contest, autographs and photo ops with TV/ movie/cartoon celebrities, and vendors selling hard-to-find collectibles.

SEPTEMBER

Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off

Sept. 2-4 | Memorial Park, 1605 E. Pikes Peak Ave., coloradospringslabordayliftoff.com

A family-friendly tradition of the Labor Day weekend, with wildly colorful hot-air balloons morning and night (weather permitting), skydiving demonstrations, a 5K run, live music, food vendors and lots more.

Commonwheel Artists Co-op Labor Day Arts Festival

Sept. 2-4 | Memorial Park, 502 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, commonwheel.com/ festival.html

A Labor Day tradition, offering juried art from potters, jewelers, painters, sculptors, photographers, glass artists and more — plus food and drink, live entertainment, and activities for the kiddos.

Military Appreciation Week

Sept. 11-17 | Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road, cmzoo.org/ events

“Military discount features 50% off the day’s normal admission base price, which is offered to all active-duty, veteran and retired military personnel and their dependents living in the same household.”

Fiestas Patrias

Sept. 16-17 | Downtown Colorado Springs, fiestaspatriascolorado.com

“A two-day family festival in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs, bringing people from diverse Hispanic origins to create a cultural fusion!” With live music, dancing, Mexican wrestling, and so much food!

Blues on the Mesa

Sept. 30 | Gold Hill Mesa, 142 Raven Mine Drive, bluesonthemesa.org

Five blues acts plus the Youth Band, food/ alcohol vendors, local artisans, silent auction and a health fair. A portion of the proceeds helps support blues and American roots music in the region through the Pikes Peak Blues Community.

Food to Power Harvest Celebration

Sept. 23 | Hillside Hub, 1090 S. Institute St., foodtopowerco.org/harvest

“Come celebrate with Food to Power as we make a toast to our 10-year anniversary as an organization at this year’s Harvest Celebration, a unique festival and fundraiser with food and drinks from local farms, restaurants, breweries, and wineries (vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free menu items too!); tours of the Hillside Hub and Production Farm; silent and live auctions; and live music.”

Donkey Derby Days

Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival Shutterstock.com

MARY JANE LIVES HERE

Just be careful to keep your tokin’ within legal limits

BY GRETA ANDERSON JOHNS

HERE’S THE LOWDOWN ON RECREATIONAL

marijuana in Colorado Springs: If you’re 21 years old or older, you can use retail pot here — just be mindful of how much, when and where. Smoking or otherwise consuming weed in public is illegal, and that includes parks or your favorite hiking trail. It’s legal to possess up to 2 ounces of recreational marijuana (tinyurl.com/CO-MaryJane).

Even more popular in the Springs, though, is medical marijuana, with dozens of medical-only dispensaries to choose from (tinyurl.com/CO-Med-MJ).

In Colorado, people 20 and older who are certified by their doctor to use cannabis to treat a health condition may register with the state to become a cardholder, while those 18 to 20 must get certifications from two different providers for their

It ain’t cheap

Our quirky neighbor to the west, Manitou Springs, is the closest place to buy recreational marijuana. Its two stores have had some of the priciest weed in the state due to the duopoly they’ve maintained in El Paso County, and a high city tax. But two new rec shops just opened in Palmer Lake to the north, so we’ll see how that affects local prices.

A half-hour trip down I-25 will get you to Pueblo, where rec sales are also legal and have a lower local tax than Manitou’s. But with gas prices the way they are now, the cost of buying pot in both towns will probably shake out about even.

No matter where you go, make sure you wait to smoke, eat, dab, etc., your purchase until you get back home, or to your 420-friendly buddy’s place.

‘Too high to drive’

Driving under the influence of marijuana could land you a DUI or DWAI (driving while ability impaired) charge. The Colorado Department of Transportation has beefed up its anti-driving-while-high campaigns and enforcement on the roads in recent years, and you may notice the “too high to drive” billboards throughout the Springs.

Under Colorado law, drivers can be tested for Delta 9 THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana that causes impairment and becomes inactive after several hours. As with drunk driving, Colorado has a legal limit on how much Delta 9 THC can be measured in blood to face a DUI or DWAI charge — but, “The primary determinant is the driving behavior and observed level of impairment witnessed and documented by the law enforcement officer,” according to CDOT. So a driver can be arrested or cited for driving high, regardless of the blood test results.

Medical marijuana users can also be arrested for DUI or DWAI. Bottom line, just don’t drive high, and don’t even open cannabis packages in your car or allow passengers to use. Everyone in the car is barred from using or having “open containers” of weed under state law, even if the car is not moving.

card. Minors can be prescribed cannabis for health treatments, too, with the OK of two physicians.

You’ll find much more medical than recreational weed in the Springs area. Actually, you’ll find no recreational sales inside city limits whatsoever — when retail sales were legalized statewide in 2014, the city opted out. Many pro-cannabis campaigns have tried and failed to get voters to approve recreational sales ever since. Most recently in November 2022, when the measure was shot down by 54.4 percent of voters, with 45.6 percent voting yes. Maybe one day we’ll get there.

There’s a limit

High-potency cannabis concentrates (aka dabs, oils, wax, hash, resin) have become a contentious issue in Colorado. In 2021 the state Legislature limited the amount one person can buy in one day to 8 grams for both medical and recreational marijuana users.

The changes have been criticized by cannabis businesses and medical marijuana advocates, who say they prevent patients from accessing their medicine in the quantities they may need.

When you buy concentrates, the budtender must also hand you a pamphlet (tinyurl.com/CO-concentrate) from Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division that outlines the dangers of consuming weed in this form. These include psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, or difficulty distinguishing reality); mental health problems; Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome, or uncontrolled and repetitive vomiting); and physical or psychological dependence on cannabis.

The pamphlet even tells you how long to inhale through your concentrate vape pen and has a tiny diagram of how much should be “dabbed.” It says concentrates are not recommended for people under 25 years old, because their brains aren’t fully developed yet.

“Marijuana concentrates ARE NOT recommended for inexperienced marijuana users,” the pamphlet says. “There is moderate evidence that individuals who use marijuana with THC concentration greater than 10% are more likely than non-users to be diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia.”

Memberships are essential to bringing the INDY back. Become a member today! Coming

ESTATE TEARS: A PRETTY COMMON AFFLICTION Caring for your plants

Did you know that a 2022 Zillow poll revealed that 50% of people cry during a housing trans-

gotiate during the contract and during inspection. In this market, buyers tend to have their most power during in-

Every day I ask people….do you have any care questions? If they say yes I warn them that I am super bossy and then I launch into my lecture about plant care. The most common mistakes with houseplants have to do with water and pots.

Overwatering: Most people think overwatering is watering too much at a time. It is typically watering too often. Plants can recover from dehydration much better than drowning! Make sure you know the watering needs of your plants….most of them prefer to be fairly dry before get-

inside the pot! No need to transplant. Speaking of transplanting…. Plants like to be cozy in their pots. You do not need to put it into a bigger pot until it has outgrown its little pot. Think of it like shoes when you were a kid. When your toes hit the end of your shoes you went to the next size up. You didn’t jump up 3 sizes with the hopes of growing into them! You went to the next size. This is the same for plants. When your little plant is bursting from its grow pot (you can tell when there are more roots than dirt when you shimmy it out of the pot) then you can move it

The Bobbi Price Team is a Family Real Estate Team and has been serving El Paso, Teller, Pueblo, Elbert and Douglas counties for over 46 years. The team consists of Bobbi Price and her Granddaughter Jade Baker plus 2 assistants. Their expertise and commitment to professional real estate, integrity, ethics and dedication are unparalleled in their industry. They specialize in resale residential homes and new construction, land, investment properties and military transfers. Their goal is to give 110% to each client as they help them navigate thru each process. When you are serious about Real Estate, give them a call today for any needs or information, and they will personally answer your call.

Lawn care can be a bit more challenging than usual here in Colorado Springs due to our high elevation. But with the right care and maintenance, you can keep your grass lush and healthy! Below are our top tips for lawn care in high elevations. Following these steps will ensure that your lawn looks better than your neighbors this season.

1. Choose grass varieties that are adapted to the climate. Different types of grasses can withstand different climates – make sure you select one that will thrive at your elevation. We recommend Kentucky Bluegrass, or Tall Fescue grass. These grasses are known for their high tolerance for drought and cold weather.

2. Test your soil and treat it with the necessary amendments based on the results of your test. High altitude soils vary from place to place in Colorado, but you can always improve any soil properties by increasing aeration of your lawn, increasing water filtration and drainage and increasing the nutrient holding capacity of the soil. We recommend a product called Revive. Revive is an organic soil treatment made for hard, water-resistant soils. It penetrates deeply to help save water and make your lawn dark green. Made from soil wetting agents, lignosulfonates and iron.

3. Keep an eye out for pesky pests such as weeds, insects, and diseases so that you can deal with them before they become too much of an issue. At Barnes ACE, we have several effective products for your lawn’s unique needs!

4. Water your lawn deeply but infrequently – this will encourage deeper root growth which is necessary at high elevations due to low air pressure. Don’t forget to aerate in the spring to allow for deeper penetration of water.

5. Mow often to keep weeds away and help promote strong, healthy turf growth by removing excess clippings regularly. Don’t forget to keep up with the maintenance of your lawn mower. Sharpening your blades yearly will ensure a better cut of your lawn, which will result in a healthier grow.

6. We want to remind you again to aerate your lawn frequently to allow water, air, and nutrients to penetrate deep into the soil where they’re most effective!

If you're looking for the best lawn care products for high elevation areas, Ace Hardware has a great selection to choose from. Here are a couple of our favorites:

• Fertilizer: When it comes to fertilizing your lawn in high elevations, look for fertilizer mixtures that include slow-release and water-soluble forms of nitrogen as well as phosphorus and potassium. We highly recommend Scotts™ four step program. It's easy for you to have a better lawn with the Scotts® 4 Step™ Program--begin the Annual Program anytime of the year: just check the month and select the appropriate Step listed, and then apply the remaining steps in two-month intervals.

• Weed Control: Ace Hardware carries a variety of herbicides and weed control products that are tailored for high-elevation lawns. Make sure to read the labels carefully and follow all instructions for optimal results! This year, we are proud to introduce the all-new Dual-Action Roundup™ which includes a four-month weed preventer.

Barnes Ace Hardware has all the essential lawn care products you need to create a lush, healthy lawn no matter what the elevation! Visit one of our five convenient locations across the Springs for expert tips and guidance: Stetson Hills, Circle, Northgate, Bon Shopping Center, or Garden of the Gods.

Our suggestions for drama-free fun in the Colorado sun

BY BOB FALCONE

THE PIKES PEAK REGION IS renowned for its outdoor recreation opportunities, and it’s a magnet for people from all over the country. Whether you want to hike, mountain bike, climb a 14,000-foot peak, do some trail running or horseback riding, you can do it in the Pikes Peak region, or anywhere in Colorado. There are a few key things you need to know and do to make sure you have an enjoyable, drama-free time while engaging in your favorite form of outdoor recreation in and around Colorado Springs and the region.

First, recognize that you are at a higher elevation — it’s not “altitude,” unless you’re levitating — than you may be accustomed to, and you need to acclimatize yourself to it. Colorado Springs is more than 6,000 feet above sealevel, and the percentage of oxygen in the air here is about 16.6 percent, as opposed to 20.9 percent at sea-level. And it’s likely that your outdoor activities will take you even higher in elevation, with a corresponding decrease in oxygen — only about 12 percent atop Pikes Peak compared to about 21 percent at sea level (check out the chart at tinyurl.com/Insider-oxygen). You need to know this, because if your body is used to the oxygen-rich atmosphere at sea-level, you will likely struggle to some degree while exercising here. This could be as minor as just getting winded a bit quicker than normal, but it could also mean something more serious in the form of altitude sickness. While the symptoms of altitude sickness vary depending on severity, generally speaking if you have a headache that

won’t go away, become nauseated, light-headed, confused or otherwise are not feeling well, get to lower elevations as quickly as possible and seek medical attention (see tinyurl.com/Insideraltitude for more info). Long story short: Take your time at these elevations, and don’t overextend yourself.

Second, if despite everything I noted above, you decide you want to climb one of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, then choose wisely. While Pikes Peak is certainly the most popular peak, and thousands climb it every year, the dirty secret is that it’s a poor choice as your first “fourteener.” First, at more than 12 miles — one way — it’s the longest hike to the summit of any fourteener in the state. Not only is it the longest, but there’s 7,400+ feet of elevation difference between the start of Barr Trail in Manitou Springs and the summit. And, once — if — you get there, you’ve got to have a way back down. Think you’re going to hike back down? Not so fast… it’s harder than you assume, especially on your knees. You’ll need to arrange to have someone ready to pick your tired feet, knees and lungs up at the summit to drive you back down, and you’ll need to be there when the Pikes Peak Highway is open, so they can actually get to you. If you still want to climb to the top of America’s Mountain, here’s the best tip you’re going to get: Spend the night at Barr Camp, which is about halfway up Barr Trail. Get a good night’s sleep, and then get an early start to the summit, and your ride home. If you want to hike back down, then consider

The dirty secret is that Pikes Peak is a poor choice as your first “fourteener.”

spending a second night at Barr Camp, before heading down to Manitou Springs. But you have to make reservations in advance to stay overnight and for dinner (barrcamp.com).

Still want to do a fourteener? Then try Quandary Peak near Breckenridge, or Mount Bierstadt near Georgetown. Both have round trips that are much shorter than just one way on Barr Trail, and with less than half the elevation gain.

The third thing you need to know is that our weather is some of the most outdoor-recreation-friendly you’ll find anywhere. It’s up for debate as to whether or not we really get “300 days of sunshine,” which was an advertising gimmick started long ago by tourism promoters and not meteorologists, but we really do have more nice days than bad here. One thing is certain, however: The weather can — and will — change at a moment’s notice. And yes, every city says that, but they’re all just posers. It really is true here. Not only can the weather change here at a moment’s notice, we can

often experience weather on any given day that makes you wonder which season it is. Seventy-degrees in December? It’s happened. Snow on Mother’s Day? That’s not uncommon. Locals know all this and are prepared for any weather, any time. In the summer, rainstorms, usually accompanied by lightning — and not infrequently, hail — are a common occurrence. You always want to have rain gear nearby, or in your pack. Locals know to plan their hikes so that they are either off-trail, or at the very least, below treeline, by mid-afternoon so they don’t become human lightning rods.

Also, locals always carry multiple layers of clothing with them. If you’re camping or hiking in the mountains, you’ll quickly discover that it gets downright chilly when the sun goes down, no matter how warm it was during the day. You don’t need to carry your heavy winter-weight parka with you in the summer, but a couple of lightweight layers is a darned good idea.

Now, get outside and have a good time!

GET EQUIPPED

ocals like to be prepared, and this list from the American Hiking Society of the “Ten Essentials” to carry with you will help you be a well-equipped hiker. Appropriate footwear. Map, compass and/or GPS. And know how to use them. Water and the ability to purify additional water from natural sources. Food.

Extra clothing. In the winter, this means extra layers in case it gets colder. In the summer, this means rain gear.

6. Safety items such as a flashlight and whistle. Also, something to start a fire, but be aware of any fire restrictions.

7. First aid kit. Take a first aid class, too. Knife or multitool.

9. Sun protection, such as sunscreen, a widebrimmed hat and sunglasses.

10. Shelter. A space blanket or even a large trash bag can be used to protect you from rain, snow or sun.

My own additional essentials:

1. A personal locator beacon. They work anywhere in the world, and will quickly summon help to your exact location. It’s the best peace-of-

mind money you’ll ever spend.

2. Shoelaces. Ever try to walk in shoes that are untied because of a broken shoelace? Laces can also be used for a variety of other purposes, including lashing a broken belt or backpack straps.

3. Prescription medication. You might think you’ll be back in time for your next scheduled dose, but many things could happen that would delay that. This is especially important for medicines that have strict time schedules.

And finally...

It’s good form to take care of our parks, trails and open spaces by following the seven Leave No Trace Principles:

1. Plan ahead and prepare.

2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.

3. Dispose of waste properly.

4. Leave what you find.

5. Minimize campfire impacts.

6. Respect wildlife.

7. Be considerate of others.

Learn more about Leave No Trace — ensuring “a sustainable future for the outdoors and the planet — at lnt.org.

— Bob Falcone

RUNNER’S HIGH

Altitude, dry air, great views and screaming legs

BY TIM BERGSTEN

WHETHER YOU LIKE RUN -

ning races with a helping of mountains and altitude, or prefer a flat and fast effort, the Pikes Peak region has something for you.

Are you ready to begin? You’ll need information, and the Pikes Peak Road Runners club ( pprrun.org) is a great place to start. The club maintains an accurate race schedule, plus info on group/training runs and much more.

Need a pair of shoes? Stop by one of the area’s specialty running stores, Fleet Feet-

Boulder Running Company (719-278-3535, fleetfeet.com), Colorado Running Company (corunco.com), or Runner’s Roost (tinyurl.com/ runnersroost-CS).

Colorado is known for its thin air and dry climate. Concerned about the altitude? Don’t be. Bottom line, if you live at sea level, you’re probably going to run slower at higher elevations. And while each person reacts differently to our altitude, you can reach your Colorado race finish. The Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent courses run to Pikes Peak’s 14,115-foot summit, and race organizers estimate that

about half the finishers live at much lower elevations, with many of them placing well in their age groups.

Check the weather. Be prepared in the mountains, where a sunny day can become cold and wet in minutes. Don’t forget sunscreen. The sun hits hard at altitude.

And before you run out the door… don’t forget your hydration. Bring enough water on every run. Every time.

Now you’re ready to begin your Colorado running adventures. Here are a few races among many that are worthy of consideration.

Tim Bergsten

The Garden of the Gods

Ten Mile Run

June 11 | garden10mile.com

You’ll have about three months to get in shape for the rolling hills in the Garden of the Gods. And while the racecourse will make your legs scream, your head is going to be lost in the scenery. This may be the most beautiful road race course in the country, meandering between towering sandstone spires and across ridge lines with views in all directions.

Colorado Springs runner Richard Park has finished the Garden 10-miler 18 times. He said the scenery and heart-hammering course are the highlights. And the after party rocks.

“The rolling hills with tough ascents and exhilarating descents make the Garden 10 race memorable,” Park says. “And the post-race party is second to none with great food, great beer and camaraderie.

There is a 10K and trail race option, for those who may not be ready for 10 tough miles.

The Springs Downhill Mile

June 17 | pprrun.org

Sometimes a person just needs to cut loose and run fast. If you want to test your wheels against some speedy runners — or attempt to feel like kid again — then check out The Springs Downhill Mile.

This is a point-to-point affair on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail with 10 runners starting every minute. In a running community rich with mountain and trail events, race director Adam Schwerdt recognized the need for a different race format.

“With the big trail and ultra scene here, there isn’t as much opportunity for the more traditional road races that are fast, shorter, and accessible to all levels of runners that may not have as much interest in racing the longer trail races,” he says.

Pikes Peak Ultra

July 29 | madmooseevents.com

The folks at Mad Moose Events have created a popular mountain ultra that begins and ends at Bear Creek Park in Colorado Springs. This race is the real deal, offering runners a choice of 50-mile, 50K, 30K and 20K distances.

The race courses climb through the foothills above Bear Creek Park, with the longer routes ascending Cheyenne Cañon and then on to timberline on the higher mountains south of Pikes Peak. The 50-miler dishes up about 12,000 feet of elevation gain. The 50K includes about 8,000 feet of climbing.

Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent

Sept. 16-17 | pikespeakmarathon.org

If mountains, trails and big altitude are your thing, then don’t miss this weekend of racing on Pikes Peak.

The 13.3-mile Ascent runs on Saturday, beginning in Manitou Springs and climbs along Barr Trail to finish atop Pikes Peak’s 14,115-foot granite crown. Runners then make the round trip in Sunday’s marathon, tagging the summit and dashing back to the finish line in Manitou Springs.

Barr Trail provides an extreme challenge, but these races are within reach for runners who work to prepare for the summit push and altitude.

The event is also a celebration for the many longtime friends who gather around a cold locally brewed beer to share stories from the trail.

There is a limit to the number of runners in each race, so register soon if you want to tackle Pikes Peak this year. Or make a plan to race in 2024 and start building your mountain legs.

The Fall Series

Oct. 1-Nov. 12 | pprrun.org

Four races scheduled every other weekend in the fall. Nothing fancy, but this is fun, affordable, old-time Colorado Springs racing. The races are held in local parks on some of the best trails in the area. With shorter race distances that vary from 3 to 7 miles, and a chill attitude, the Fall Series is a great way to wrap up a year of racing while maintaining your conditioning.

The YMCA Turkey Trot 5K

Nov. 23 | ppymca.org

Put the turkey in the oven and run a 5K with the Briargate Family YMCA. The race annually draws about 3,000 runners on Thanksgiving morning. This is pure community fun with vendors, costumes, a kids’ race, and a great road 5K that’ll pique your appetite for turkey, pumpkin pie and a nap.

TRAIL MIX

Outdoor groups, helpful resources and other bits and pieces

BY SIXTY35 STAFF

The Manitou Incline

inclinefriends.org

With grades up to 68 percent, 2,768 steps and an elevation gain of close to 2,000 feet in under a mile, the Incline is for the fittest of the fit. It follows the path of a cable tram built for hauling construction materials (and later, tourists) up the mountainside, and now its railroad-tie stairs witness the misery and exultation of about 70,000 runners a year.

Gone fishing

There are three good fishin’ holes (reservoirs) on Pikes Peak alone, and plenty more in El Paso

clubs ( Jack Quinn’s Running Club, jackquinnsrunners.com; Achilles Pikes Peak, achillesinternational. org/pikes-peak; and more); and disc golf (Pikes Peak Flying Disc Club, tinyurl.com/PP-flying-disc).

We got bird watching (Aiken Audubon Pikes Peak Region, aikenaudubon.com) and mountain biking (Women’s Mountain Bike Association of Colorado Springs, wmbacos.org; Medicine Wheel, medwheel.org; Colorado Springs Mountain Bike Association, cosmba.org)

If you’re looking for your herd, your pack, your peeps, just noodle around online until you find them.

Colorado Springs Parks

Nearby state parks

cpw.state.co.us

Cheyenne Mountain State Park (tinyurl.com/ CPW-near-us) is close to home, offering camping, a nature center, an archery range and about 28 miles of trail for nature watching, hiking and biking. Head up Ute Pass to Divide, where you’ll find Mueller State Park (tinyurl.com/CPWMueller), with more than 5,000 acres of wildflower meadows mixed with pine/fir/spruce/ aspen forest.

Trails & Open Space Coalition

trailsandopenspaces.org

Photo by Stephen Martin of Explore With Media, courtesy Visit COS

WOOF!!!

THIS IS A DOG-FRIENDLY KINDA TOWN, with plenty of no-leash public spots where fourleggeds can run free in the Colorado sunshine and feel the wind in their fur. We’ve included the local favorites here, from Fox Run up north to Duckwood Dog Park down in Fountain. A couple things first, though.

Bear Creek Dog Park

1685 S. 21st. St.

This ultra-popular — 100,000-plus visitors annually — 25-acre fenced space has a play area just for little guys under 25 pounds and senior pups, and a large playground for dogs of all sizes. Includes pathways, creek access (oh joy, oh rapture!!), a water station, bag dispensers/trash cans, restrooms, an agility course and a dog-wash area for muddy puppers.

Rampart Dog Park

8270 Lexington Drive

Off-leash fenced area on the city’s Northside, with an agility course, benches, a water station, and plenty of space for Fifi to dig in the sand.

Cheyenne Meadows Dog Park

3868 Glen Meadow Drive

A small fenced space on the south end of this neighborhood city park, with off-street parking for dog parents on Charmwood Drive. Has bag dispensers, a trash can and a bench; bring your own water.

Red Rock Canyon Open Space

3550 W. High St.

Two unfenced loop trails — halfmile Lower Dog Loop and 1-mile Upper Dog Loop — bag dispensers and trash cans and a portable toilet. Dogs must be leashed elsewhere in the open space.

Palmer Park Dog Park

3650 Maizeland Road

This no-frills fenced space was once a baseball field (so there’s no shade at all), but the dogs don’t seem to mind.

Playgrounds for pups in the Pikes Peak region

BY SIXTY35 STAFF

Don’t be that dog owner, OK? We’re a little alarmed by the growing number of aggressive dog investigations in the city and El Paso County, so please, please don’t let your pooch behave like some hound from hell.

And... while many dog parks try to maintain poop-bag dispensers and community water bowls, there are no guarantees. You’ll want to bring your own.

Eastridge Dog Park

2324 Shawnee Drive

Wide open spaces (2.5 acres fenced) on the city’s Eastside, out past Powers Boulevard. Benches and restrooms for humans, bag dispensers and trash cans, but not much shade for two- or four-leggeds.

Vista Dog Park

9841 Vista Del Pico Boulevard

This small fenced space in the Banning Lewis Ranch community has room for dogs to run and places where people can sit and stay. Plenty of nearby parking, too.

Fox Run Dog Park

2110 Stella Drive

Five fenced acres in the south east corner of Fox Run Regional Park, located on the north end of town in Black Forest. Features a half-mile loop trail, 1.5-acre small-dog area (25 pounds and under), benches and ponderosa pines for shade.

Duckwood Dog Park

2010 Duckwood Road, Fountain Fountain Creek Regional Park opened this 3-acre fenced, off-leash space where hounds can run off some energy. It has a trail, benches, pet waste stations and its own parking lot.

Falcon Dog Park

10990 Eastonville Road, Falcon

Ten fenced acres of prairie includes 8 acres for big dogs and 2 acres for the little guys, plus a shade struc ture, bag dispensers and trash cans.

Golden Meadows Dog Park 2000 Evergreen Heights Drive, Woodland Park

A fenced space in Meadow Wood Sports Complex with separate areas for small and large pups, with benches, a water station and waste stations, and benches for tired humans.

For critter-related state, county and municipal laws, check out hsppr.org/law/laws-ordinances.

ARTISTS ONSTAGE

Dancers, actors and more share their magic at venues of all sizes

BY RHONDA VAN PELT

IF WATCHING OR PARTICIPATING in theater, dance or another performing art makes your heart beat faster, these local troupes and venues will be sources of endless delight.

Theatreworks at Ent Center for the Arts

entcenterforthearts.org/Theatreworks

You can’t accuse this revered theater company of taking the easy way out. This season wraps up with August Wilson’s King Headley II and Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew The first is set in Philadelphia in the 1980s and runs Thursdays-Sundays, with Saturday and Sunday matinees, from April 27 to May 21. The second explores Elizabethan England and runs Wednesdays-Sundays from July 6 to July 30. Watch for details on Pericles performances, part of their Summer Free-For-All program.

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College

fac.coloradocollege.edu/theatre

The FAC theater has long been known for offering an eclectic mix of dramas, musicals and comedies every season, and this one is no

exception. Catch Where We Belong by the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in April, Misery in October, Balloonacy in October-November and, just in time for Christmas, Elf the Musical. Springs

Ensemble Theatre

springsensembletheatre.org

The people who make SET work are determined to present theater that engages its audience and builds community by “exercising the conscience, entertaining the mind and inspir-

ing the imagination.” Those are lofty goals, but they’ve delivered — year after year.

Millibo Art Theatre

themat.org

The jolliest place in Colorado Springs always offers something for grown-ups, such as the Women’s Theatre Festival, running weekends through April 23, and something for the young’uns, such as summer camp in June and July.

Iron Springs Chateau

Theatreworks

Courtesy Theatreworks

Funky Little Theater Company

funkylittletheater.org

Come on, get Funky! Want to tread the boards? You can audition for a production. Got a play somewhere inside you? Submit the script! Do you dream of designing sets or just want to watch with the rest of the audience? Think Funky. Chris Medina and company are even taking their shows on the road, with Boeing Boeing on tap at the Butte Theater in Cripple Creek through May 7.

Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts

pikespeakcenter.com

The Broadway at Pikes Peak Center Series is the centerpiece of this cultural gem in downtown Colorado Springs. This year’s offerings include: Anastasia, April 17-19, about a young woman who may (or may not) be the daughter of Russia’s last czar; and My Fair Lady, May 23-25, the beloved musical about Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower seller who learns how to be a “proper lady.”

Iron Springs Chateau

ironspringschateau.com

Cheer the plucky heroine and strongjawed hero, and boo the villain in this summer’s melodrama, All Trains Lead to

Home … Or … Training Spaces. It runs on the Manitou Springs stage on Friday and Saturday evenings, May 19 through Sept. 23. But wait, there’s more: Audience participation is strongly encouraged during the sing-along and musical revue.

Ormao Dance Company ormaodance.org

Since 1990, Ormao has offered classes, performance opportunities and programs for people of all ages. Community outreach programs include Dance for Parkinson’s classes, in-school educational residencies and Mathtastic, which combines arithmetic and dance concepts in elementary schools. Ormao founder Jan Johnson also loves to showcase dancers in unusual environments, such as empty buildings and construction sites.

The Burly Scouts

facebook.com/theBurlyScouts

This burlesque troupe, which celebrates all people of all races, shapes and sizes, is dedicated to community and education. Director and founder Madame Gem says: “We teach a semiannual eight-week workshop for folks who are interested in learning the art of the tease, and teach them every skill they will need to create a burlesque act.”

The Scouts take the stage at La Burla Bee and with The Champagne Cabaret.

Colorado Ballet Society

danceinthesprings.com

The society aims to balance health, dance and excellence through such offerings as the Sparkle Dance Program for tiny dancers, Colorado Youth Ballet for auditioned dancers ages 9 and older, Connexus Dance Collective (the society’s resident contemporary dance compa ny) and the National Honor Society for Dance Arts, which recognizes dancers in grades nine through 12 for their artistic merit, leadership and academic achievement in dance. Upcoming events include the 25th Anni versary Gala, scheduled for April 22.

Dragonfly Aerial Company

dragonflyaerialco.com

You may have seen these incredibly artistic athletes hanging from a ceiling on col orful silks somewhere around town. Attend a performance — they just put on take a class so you can make others ooh and aah as they watch you defy grav ity in the most beautiful way. Or sign up the kiddos for Circus Intensive Camp, geared for ages 9 through 13, in June or July.

Colorado Ballet Society

THE GALLERY ECOSYSTEM

From street art to contemporary to works in clay

BY SIXTY35 STAFF

THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES in this town to see great art and works by up-and-coming artists, and the list we’ve provided below just scratches the surface. We think the best way to find all of those out-of-the way galleries and art spaces is to take to the streets of Downtown Colorado Springs, the Westside and Manitou Springs. Meanwhile, these art havens will get you started.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts

cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com

Cottonwood is a lot of things to a lot of people. April’s show, Skyscapes, is followed in May by Eat Me Drink Me, which is all about perception and scale (“One bite makes you grow and one sip shrinks you down”). Upcoming adult classes include Intro to Raku, Linocut Print Making, Book Publishing 101 and Drawing What You See. For younger creators there’s Miniature Food Sculpture, Art for Homeschoolers and The Poetic Pathway. They offer studio rentals, Art Cafés on the business of art, and free short films on First Friday. Plus, they have an Art & Gift Market coming up on April 29. Like we say, lots of things.

Galleries of Contemporary

entcenterforthearts.org/goca

With two galleries, one Downtown and one at UCCS’ Ent Center for the Arts, GOCA holds a conversation about contemporary culture through exhibits like Xi Zhang’s EXIT: Childtown, which shows the evolution of his work through a change of environment. The show is up through July 1 in the Marie Walsh Sharpe Gallery at Ent Center for the Arts. While you’re

at the Ent Center, take time to expe rience Hiatus by Eric M. Olson, who rediscovered his sketchbooks from the 1970s and ’80s and found time dur ing the COVID pandemic to “turn those conceptual works into full-sized acrylic canvas-over-plywood backed paintings.” (In the GOCA Art Space through April 22.)

G44 Gallery

g44gallery.com

It’s owned and its shows are curated by Gundega Stevens, who focuses on monthly rotating solo shows by artists from Colorado Springs and beyond. While art style varies from artist to artist, G44 loves to showcase abstract contemporary and contemporary real ism works. Art by two painters will be up through April 28 — Sarah Wright’s Pathways, Energies, and Rhythms Kristy Kensinger’s Held by the Sun

Manitou Art Center

manitouartcenter.org

For over 30 years, the Manitou Art Center has served as the community’s creative center. It has two main galler ies, the Intemann Gallery and Hag nauer Gallery, studios, classrooms and even a PPLD library branch. Plus, everyone has the opportunity join the MAC Makerspace for access to the center’s equipment and resources (metalshop, woodshop, darkroom and more) — to make some art of their own.

Sean O'Meallie

Art on the Streets

tinyurl.com/AOTS-in-CS

AOTS, with six murals and six sculptures in its 24th annual exhibit, turns Downtown into an outdoor gallery. It’s a project of Downtown Ventures, the nonprofit arm of the Downtown Partnership that’s “dedicated to the arts, historic preservation and other public benefit programs of Downtown Colorado Springs.” The current exhibit runs until May, and you’ll find a map of artwork locations at tinyurl.com/Insider-AOTS.

Kreuser Gallery

kreusergallery.com

The gallery on East Boulder Street schedules month-long exhibits by a diverse mix of artists. This month the three exhibition rooms will feature Now Streaming, new works by landscape painter Ben Bires; Abundance by Lelia Davis, who paints “bold, joyous landscapes”; and Novel Constellations, a collection of works by Cymon Padilla, who combines “digital processes and collage with the centuries-old art of traditional oil painting techniques.”

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College

csfineartscenter.org

The FAC is an arts staple in the Springs whose history reaches back to the early 1900s. It’s now part of neighboring Colorado College, but still brings mind-expanding exhibits like Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself, in which the artist “uses her body to explore themes of mortality, time, and place” (through July 30). The FAC has an extensive permanent collection, and is currently displaying a three-gallery selection of works titled Art of the Southwest: 1840s to Present. Bemis School of Art, offering classes for all ages, also sits under the FAC umbrella.

Other spaces we love...

Ultra Flat Black Gallery (tinyurl.com/Insider-UltraFB), Art 1eleven Gallery (facebook.com/Art1elevenGallery), The Garfield Galler y ( garfieldgallery.com), Colorado Springs City Auditorium (coloradosprings. gov/project/city-auditorium), The Bridge Gallery (thebridgeartgallery.com).

Free From Disturbance, Laura Brown, Cottonwood Center for the Arts

Breath of the Last Wild River, Jo Bertini, Ent Center for the Arts

Music is all the way back at Pikes Peak-area venues

BY LORING WIRBEL

THE 2023 HEADLINES ARE dedicated to the return of big gigs and the steep prices paid to see artists like Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and SZA. In Colorado Springs, fans are waiting with bated breath for the arrival of Sunset Amphitheatre at Promontory Point, the first “big gig” venue to compete with Red Rocks — though it’s certain that the infrastructure will not be completed, nor any acts booked, before 2024. The bigger story of post-pandemic 2023 is that smaller indoor venues will expand and hold their own, even in summer months. Existing popular spots such as The Black Sheep and Lulu’s Downstairs have impressive agendas set through summer’s end, while newcomers like Bar-K’s basement concert space are filling up calendars that offered only occasional shows in 2022.

National shows at The Black Sheep (blacksheeprocks.com) include Lucero on April 17 and Black Flag on April 28. Further on the horizon are Tigercub, OTEP, DRI and Stryper. Vultures (vulturesrocks.com), an affiliated bar around the corner from Black Sheep and intended for smaller acts, nevertheless hosts some well-known names. British band Sports Team came to Vultures on March 23, their only venue between Austin, Texas, and Vancouver, B.C.

Bar-K was a popular Downtown location for smaller shows prior to the pandemic, but more recently expanded its basement game room, Dog House (doghousecos.com), for larger shows. American Humor and Falter Never Fail are among regional bands scheduled for April.

Sunshine Studios Live (sunshinestudioslive.com) is a trek outside of town to the south, but worth the trip for fans of more eclectic metal, punk and hip-hop acts. The venue along the I-25 corridor in Security features its own recording studio. Spring shows include Atreyu, Cold, Demun Jones, Hemlock, and even a multiband nu-metal festival.

Fritzy’s ( facebook.com/fritzysbar) and Triple Nickel Tavern ( facebook.com/triplenickeltavern) have done a decent job combining the resources of the former Triple Nickel and Zodiac locations. A shared kitchen serves both at 103 S. Wahsatch Ave., with live acts upstairs at 555 and Fritzy’s on the lower level. The music mix is a partial succession of Triple Nickel bills, mixing goth, punk, industrial, burlesque, and karaoke nights featuring Alpha the Musical. April shows include Hellgrammites (April 14), Stereo Ontario (April 20), and Al1ice (April 22).

For the LGBTQ+ community, there is a slight overlap between Fritzy’s and the popular Downtown piano bar ICONS (icons-co.com), though the latter features more cabaret and jazz-singer acts, along with occasional spoken-word poetry.

ICONS offers music nightly from its own professional staff, and also hosts a ticketedevent music Wednesday, recently featuring Sawyer Straley and Juliane Godfrey.

Lulu’s (lulusdownstairs.com) is pulling in more national and international acts for both its large Downstairs and intimate Upstairs venues, sometimes multiple artists in one week. Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Toure appears April 18, and

separate shows for Sunny War and The Samples are set for the end of April. Sarah Shook returns to Lulu’s May 27, and Bonnie Prince Billy (William Oldham) is booked for July 14.

Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort (bicycleresort.com), famous for its summer porch series for local artists, began an indoor lodge series on Friday nights over the winter. Jeremy Facknitz held a multi-month residency from December to March, and now local artists such as Crystal Bliss and John Spengler are featured.

EXISTING VENUES NEED TO FILL some missed opportunities represented by the closure of Ivywild Music during the pandemic. The gymnasium at Ivywild School remains acoustically enhanced for music, and may host some private events or small music promotions, but the standalone music company that was part of Ivywild School has no plans to reestablish concert calendars in the near future.

For midsized venues, the emphasis on tribute acts is both a reflection of what many local music fans want, and the limits to bringing in musicians focusing on original works. This mix always has been evident at Stargazers Theatre (stargazerstheatre.com), but even more so in 2023, as acts through June are either tributes or local Colorado favorites like Martini Shot and Jake Loggins. Owner John Hooton says this reflects which shows sell out the fastest, but he added the venue is always looking for original music acts like Bruce Cockburn’s rare appearance last year.

The Black Sheep

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Visit Gallery 113 for amazing, a ordable, beautiful art created by our 17 local artists. Voted one of the top three galleries in the Springs!

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beautiful

The Pikes Peak Center, World Arena and Boot Barn Hall are all favoring known quantities this year. Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts ( pikespeakcenter.com) books in conjunction with The Broadmoor World Arena (broadmoorworldarena.com), but all spring music acts are Downtown at the Pikes Peak Center, with the exception of an April appearance of Ice Cube at the arena. Spring acts at the center include Gladys Knight, Third Eye Blind, Toto and Ringo Starr. Similarly, Boot Barn Hall (bootbarnhall.com) has always leaned country, but includes tribute acts and eclectic rock. This spring, featured acts include tribute bands Petty Nicks Experience and My Blue Sky (Allman Broth-

ers). Originally, Boot Barn owner J.W. Roth (developer of Sunset Amphitheater) intended Notes Bar (notesbar.com) near Boot Barn to feature smaller touring acts, but so far Notes only has an occasional local performer.

In years past, Palmer Lake’s Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts (trilakesarts.org) has featured some unique national acts, such as a dual appearance by May Erlewine and Maia Sharp last summer. This year, TCA is following the tribute bandwagon by featuring Eric Elison’s Gordon Lightfoot tribute and Hazel Miller’s Aretha Franklin tribute this spring. The venue also will host Claude Bourbon, a guitarist who specializes in medieval, Spanish and progressive blues music, in a May 19 show.

Black Rose Acoustic Society (blackroseacoustic.org) continues its Friday night concert series at Black Forest Community Center, with a wide range of local original artists through the summer and fall. Tickets are not sold in advance except for special national-act appearances, and none of those are on the calendar yet for 2023.

Summer always brings a host of free regular concerts of locals in many city locations. Because of the diffuse nature of the population in El Paso County, summer concert series now exceed 20, in locations from county parks to University Village Colorado shopping center. We’ll provide more information on the summer series as the weather warms.

Sunset Amphitheater

WORDS AMONG FRIENDS

Opportunities abound for readers, writers and speakers

BY RHONDA VAN PELT

Poetry719

poetry719.com

This group’s motto is “We Do Stuff,” and they certainly do. Poetry719 fosters and supports using written and spoken words to pursue freedom of expression. The organization focuses on supporting the voices of marginalized communities and people of color. They present three to four events per month — open mics, discussion panels, film showings, volunteer gigs with nonprofits and themed poetry nights — and ensure that they are safe, inclusive and accessible. Watch the Poetry719 Facebook page for news about group events and other opportunities.

Pikes Peak Writers

pikespeakwriters.com

The organization best known for presenting an annual conference (scheduled for April 27-30 this year) also offers regular in-person and virtual sessions for critiques, drop-in writing, “Write Drunk, Edit Sober” events and “Writers’ Night.” The website includes a “success stories” page, where you can help celebrate fellow writers’ accomplishments and even post your own good news. If that’s not enough, PPW also publishes an yearly anthology, scheduled for release this spring.

Pikes Peak Library District book clubs

ppld.org/book-clubs

These PPLD gatherings are held online or in person and range from “Adults Read the Darnedest Things” at the Fountain Library to “Monumental Bookworms” at the Monument branch, from the “BYO Book Club” at the Ute Pass Library to the Falcon Book Club in Peyton, and

everywhere in between. Genres include mystery, fiction and nonfiction. Times/days vary by location, so pick what works for you and crack open the books.

Non Book Club Book Club

facebook.com/nonbookclubbookclub

If you fit into one or more of these categories — artists, musicians, poets, filmmakers, chefs, nerds or weirdos — consider joining the NBCBC. You can meet monthly to share ideas by swapping books, web links, playlists and experiences. It’s set up to break down the traditional ideas about learning while also bringing together Colorado Springs creatives.

The Story Project

ppld.org/story-project-kch

The Smokebrush Foundation and Pikes Peak Library District are collaborating on this program. Four presenters tell their stories, generally following a theme, at PPLD’s Knights of Columbus Hall, 20 W. Pikes Peak Ave. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Although the March 10 gathering had to be canceled, more are planned for the near future; watch the webpage for updates.

The Writers’ Studio

cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com/expression

Various instructors present monthly four- or six-week classes, sharing their experience with topics including “The Poetic Pathway,” “Write Your Life” and “Book Publishing 101.” Check

AROUND THE WORLD

Go abroad simply by sampling the Springs’ diverse array of international spots

BY MATT SCHNIPER

DID YOU EVER GO TO AN around-the-world party? Like at a college dorm, where each room on a

or snack from a represented country, and you didn’t actually learn much about the cultures, but man did you get a little and relish some finger foods?

OK, maybe not. But either way, you get the point. And that silly social framework’s my inspiration for this globally inspired roundup of Springs eateries. I want to celebrate our international offerings by pointing out clus ters of businesses in various areas of town where you can essentially plan your own protracted around-the-world fiesta. Leave America for a moment, if only symbolically or through imagination, by tuning out the world beyond the dining room windows and trans porting yourself to another land.

Come on, let’s go! Here’s a mashup (which notably does skip food trucks) that should keep you busy, and maybe even taste you on to something new.

WEST

LETS START ON THE FAR WEST SIDE OF town. In Woodland Park, you’re looking at a few spots: Fusion Japan ( fusionjapanwp.com) for your sushi fix, including honorary Woodland Park and Cripple Creek rolls; Mountainara Cucina Italiana for stellar pastas (mountainara.com) and the newly revamped Swiss Chalet (swisschalet.co) where

Park Cantina (crystalparkcantina.com) can address taco and tequila cravings with their respective styles of Mexican cuisine. [Note: Mexican is overrepresented in C. Springs, so I’ve had to be selective in the spots I’m highlighting.] Lastly, Savelli’s (savellis-pizza.com) meets the local Italian demand with pizza, calzones and homemade meatballs.

Matthew Schniper

Yellow Mountain Tea House

Warm Beer. Lousy Food. Poor Service.

Because Yellow Mountain Tea House (yellow-mountain-organic-tea.com) invites you for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony which you can pair with dumplings, buns and other treats. Also more interactive, the phenomenal Uchenna (uchennaalive. com) encourages you to eat with your hands, Ethiopian style, rolling fermented injera bread up to scoop up lovely lentils, lamb, chicken and other items. Over to European Café & Restaurant ( facebook.com/mayax2016), you’ll find more Eastern European fare, including borscht and Polish pierogies. La Baguette (labaguette-co.com) is your classic French Bakery with a somewhat hidden upstairs wine bar for locals in the know. And finally on this leg of the journey, Monse’s Pupuseria (monsestasteofelsalvador.online) introduced the Springs to wonderful Salvadoran culinary culture — go load up on pupusas.

EAST

LET’S GO EAST NEXT: STARTING CENTRALLY ON POWERS BOULEvard. Do Deutschland at Schnitzel Fritz ( facebook.com/SchnitzelFritzRestaurant), where, duh, you get a schnitzel. Next, nearby there’s an international row that goes You Ka Cafe (you-kacafe.com) for fabulous Filipino fare — like love on some lumpia. Then Arharn Thai (arharnthai.net) for Pad Thai Ho Kai. Then K Bop Korean Fusion Cafe (kbopcafe.com) to discover bingsu (no, I’m not telling you; look it up). Just around the shopping mall corner, Fala-Filo (falafilocos.com) makes masterful Middle Eastern plates, including exclusive-to-town Iraqi and Jordanian dishes. Not far away, Pho-Nomenal ( phonomenalrestaurant.com) will fix you up with Vietnamese pho bowls and Jasmine Cafe (jasminecafecs.com) dishes all the desired Chinese favorites. Dance over to Dublin Boulevard and you’ve got Kanpai Japanese Restaurant & Sushi (kanpaisprings.com) for specialty rolls and nearby Korean Garden (koreangardennorth.com) for bangin’ bulgogi. Jumping farther north, hit Abby’s Irish Pub (abbysirishpub.com) for a boxty with house corned beef on the way to Indian outfit Shri Ganesh (shriganeshco.com) if you have any naan sense (get it?) and Zesty Thai apple fried rice. Then continue up for Mexican in Monu ment with mole enchiladas at or the Breaking Bad burrito at (arlenesbeans.com meth in the burrito). Or bounce over to Palmer Lake for a South western take on Mexican food at La Rosa southwesterndining. com; get the carne adovada). Heading back down I-25, stop at Seoul BBQ Korean Cuisine (seoulb bqco.com) for the unique-to-town experience of grilling your own meats at the table, then hit British Food Company ish.net) for Chicken Tikka Masala.

HAPPY HOUR 4-7pm daily with Daily Shenanigans!

Matthew Schniper

Fala-Filo

➔ continued from p. 39

A couple exits down off Garden of the Gods Road, you get Caspian Cafe (caspiancafe.com) for Mediterranean that includes Moroccan and Persian plates. La Bella Vita Ristorante Italiano (labellavitaristorante.net) is just a tiramisu’s throw away. And you’re also not far from iconic Señor Manuel Mexican Cuisine (senormanuels.com) and fine-dining star Ambli Global (amblidenver.com/ambli-coloradosprings) for a catch-all international lineup. Back on the other side of I-25, Zaika Indian Cuisine (zaikacosprings.com) nails the usual suspects. Mollica’s Italian Market & Deli (mollicas.com) slays a hot Italian beef sandwich and so much more. Taste of Brasil (thetasteofbrasil.com) will introduce you to Brazilian-style pot pies. And around the corner, La Baguette French Bistro (labaguettefrenchbistro.com) takes more of a finedining approach to French and European food, and the Le Crocque Monsieur lunch sandwich makes memories. Over the hill, one of Heart of Jerusalem’s locations, on Centennial Boulevard (heartofjerusalemcafe. com), will have shawarma or a kabob ready for you.

NORTH

OH SNAP, MY COMPASS IS SPINNING NOW, BUT I’m transporting us to a vague northeastern boundary that’s mostly on/around Academy Boulevard and some side streets. Use your GPS, you’ll be fine. Don’t miss Pig Latin’s ( piglatincocina.com) Latin American fusion of tacos with Colombian arepas and more. Indian offerings abound with Gurkhas Kitchen ( gurkhaskitchenco.com), Mirch Masala (mirchmasalaa.com) and a Little Nepal location (lnepal.com), plus Urban Tandoor (theurbantandoor.com). There’s a cluster near-ish Austin Bluffs Parkway that includes fish n’ chips via British outfit The Chippy (chippycos.com), plus Korean staple San Chang House (sanchanghouse.com), Pho Luu Vietnamese ( facebook.com/PhoLuuAsianNoodleRestaurant) and a mile south you get two Thai choices in Elephant Thai (elephantthaicos.com) and Nom Nom Thai (nomnomthaico.com). Moving back north across Austin Bluffs (what, you didn’t want whiplash?) you’ll come to Euro Market & Deli ( facebook.com/euromarketdeliCO), mostly a grocery store but also a deli and the only place in town to find authentic Ukrainian food (Slava Ukraini!). Just a little up the road you’ll hit the excellent Rumba Latin Cuisine (rumbaauthenticlatincuisine.com) for everything from Puerto Rican items (mofongo) to Cuban (ropa vieja) to Colombian fare. Pho Original (phooriginalco.com) is just across the way for Vietnamese eats, and The French Kitchen (tfkcc.com) resides just adjacent to Rumba for very exacting and authentic French pastries, sandwiches and outstanding desserts. Another street down, hit Arabian

Nights Cafe (arabiannightscafe.com) for Turkish coffee and some Egyptian items among other Middle Eastern eats. Now we’re catching a taxi north up the street again, stopping first at Thai Taste (thaitasteco-springs.com) for a bowl of Kao Soi, then pausing at Overseas 101 (overseas101co. com) for Chinese specialties, perhaps Mongolian ginger seafood. Then we’re off to Haru Ramen (haruramenco.com), which also does some sushi. Then we’ll hit longtime legendary Springs Japanese spot, Jun Japanese Restaurant (junjapanese.com), at its original location; the sushi’s spectacular and it’s the only spot around for shabu shabu service. Just down the street from there, The Kopi Den (asiancookery.net) offers the Springs’ only Malaysian street food, like the epic Curry Laksa. Onward up Academy we’ll finally hit Viet’s Restaurant (vietspringrestaurant.com) for lesser-seen-locally Vietnamese items such as snails and razor clams. Milagros Cocina Mexicana (milagroscocinamx.com) presents a higherend approach to Mexican food that’s spectacular, and we can’t miss two more terrific Thai options: Chaang Thai (chaangthaicos.com) and Thai Mint (thai-mint.com).

continued on p.

MatthewSchniper

The French Kitchen

Independent, family-owned, only in Colorado. Find us on draft and in six packs around town and at our brewery pub inside Ivywild School.

1604 S. CASCADE AVENUE • BRISTOLBREWING.COM E Q

PICKING THE TRAVELS BACK UP, OUR next destination is the south and southeast side of Colorado Springs, a diverse area with the largest concentration of Korean outfits in particular. When kimchi cravings arise, you’ve got nine options (10 if you can access Korean Express in the Peterson Base Exchange). Angry Chicken (angrychickencsco.com)

and ramen). Loop down South Academy Boulevard and find Tasty Korean ( facebook.com/tastykorean) near Fort Carson, on B Street. Bop over to Fountain and there’s another Korean Garden location (koreangardenco.com) with super soups and stews in the mix. Catch your breath, we’ve got five more to go: Tong Tong (yelp.com/biz/tong-tong-colorado-springs-2)

pancakes, and if you still haven’t tried spicy squid, hit Kang Nam (kangnamrestaurantcos.com) on Galley Road.

OK, so the southeast definitely reps Korean for our around-the-world party, but there’s more international hubs to hit. On Astrozon Boulevard, Julie’s Kitchen (tinyurl.com/Julies-Astro) for fine Filipino fare (and Hawaiian items) and El Taco & La Arepa eltacoylaarepaco.com) for a combo of Venezuelan barbecued items, arepas and Mexican favorites. Just up the way sits Don Guillo (tinyurl.com/donguillo-delta) for fantastic Puerto Rican fare (yes, technically an American territory, but hosting its own unique cuisine worthy of a stop on our tour — how dare you question me, your humble tour guide!). Next hit up 2 facebook.com/2Luchos) for exclusive Peruvian plates, from fried chicken and seafood to specially grilled beef dishes. Uri Sushi & Grill (urisushiand) plates absolutely beautiful sushi, as does

Bada Japanese Restaurant (badajapaneserestaurant.com). For Vietnamese needs like bun or pho, options abound with Pho Hancock (phohancockcoloradospringsco.com), Pho Buddy Togo Restaurant (orderphobuddy.com), Tan Phat ( facebook.com/ tanphatrestaurant), the colorful Saigon Tapioca (saigontapioca.com) and the one whose name says it all: I love Pho (yelp.com/ biz/i-love-pho-colorado-springs, 719-328-1000). Digest. When you’re rested, know that there’s more Mexican options, and the south and east-central sides have a particular abundance. Since I can’t possibly pick them all, I’m listing some townie and personal faves: Quijotes Mexican Grill ( facebook. com/QuijotesMexicanGrill719; get cochinita pibil), La lacarretamexicantogo.com; a classic), La Sinaloense Bakery & Restaurant (tinyurl.com/LaSinalAcademy; go for the sweets), Tlaquepaque (tinyurl. com/Tlaque-Murray; maybe quesabirria tacos), Arceo’s Juanita’s Best Mexican Food (juanitasbestmexicanfoodcs.com) and Sofia’s Antojitos ( facebook.com/sofiasantojitos; small plates and snacks).

MatthewSchniper

El Taco & La Arepa

Appetizers

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Open for Lunch and Dinner Mon-Sat. Welcome to the Saigon Café the award winning Vietnamese restaurant in Colorado Springs. Our cuisine is cooked with fresh vegetables, herbs and meats in authentic Vietnamese style. Try our renowned noodle bowl, a lunchtime favorite. M-Th 11AM–3PM; 4PM–8:30PM F-Sat 11AM–3PM; 4PM-9:30PM

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FRONT RANGE BARBEQUE

2330 W COLORADO AVE | 719-632-2596 | FRBBQ.COM

Voted best BBQ last 20 years by Indy readers! Scratch-made, Southernstyle BBQ w/ rotating craft beers on tap. Weekday Happy Hour 3pm-6pm. Outdoor patios & live music. See website for current hours, daily specials and events! Catering available.

CRAFT PUB

ODYSSEY GASTROPUB

311 N. TEJON ST. | 719-999-5127 | ODYSS EYGASTROPUB.COM

Voted Best New Restaurant 2015 by Indy readers. Specializing in an eclectic mix of craft food, craft beer, and craft cocktails. Odyssey Gastropub is a downtown gem with a warm, intimate atmosphere and awesome staff. Start your adventure with us! Mon.- Fri. 11am - 10pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am - 10pm

GERMAN

EDELWEISS RESTAURANT

34 E. RAMONA AVE. | (SOUTH NEVADA & TEJON) | 719-633-2220

For 50 Years Edelweiss has brought Bavaria to Colorado Springs. Using fresh ingredients, the menu invites you to visit Germany. Support local business! We’re open and doing drive-thru and takeout with a limited menu that can be found on our website! www. edelweissrest.com.

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We also have a live Lobster tank so come by and take home some live Lobsters!

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LOUIE’S PIZZA

4815 BARNES ROAD (BARNES & ORO BLANCO) | 719-591-5241 | LOUIES-PIZZA.COM

Serving The Colorado Springs Area Since 1985! Locally owned and operated. In the top 3 “Best Tasting Pizzas” for the last 15 years. The best value for your dollar & The freshest ingredients possible. Five locations! Dine in, carry out, and delivery with specials that save your budget!

SOUTHWESTERN/MEXICAN

JOSÉ MULDOON’S

222 N. TEJON ST. | 719-636-2311 | 5710 S. CAREFREE CR @ POWERS | 719-574-5673

Since 1974. Features authentic Tex-Mex & Mexican fare in contemporary Sante Fe-styled establishment. Across from Acacia Park, and west of Powers & Carefree. Josemuldoons.com. Support local restaurants! We are open for delivery, carry out, and dine-in at both locations! Please check our Facebook page for hours daily, as they are subject to change.

STEAKHOUSE

THE FAMOUS 31 N. TEJON ST. | DOWNTOWN | 719-227-7333

Colorado Springs’ finest upscale steak house and lounge located in the center of downtown. Dine in an elegant and classic steak house environment. Award winning prime steaks, fresh seafood, premium wines, craft brews and piano bar provide a provocative mix of atmosphere and entertainment. Reservations suggested.

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• 719.577.4545

A COLORADO INSTITUTION

IT’S TIME TO

MOVE

TO

THE CENTER, AROUND

AND into Downtown. Don’t lose your passport, we’re almost back home. On or near Circle Drive, hit Kariacos (kariacosfood.com) for Venezuelan bites, the epic Lucy I’m Home (lucyimhomecolorado.com) for Cuban goodies and Thai Lily Cuisine and Yakitori 8 (719-5978374) for Thai and Japanese eats. We haven’t visited Jamaica yet, but we can, so next jam out with One Love Island Grill (oneloveislandgrill.com/menu), Dainty’s Jamaican Kitchen (daintyjamaicankitchen.blizzfull.com) or High Grade Foods Jamaican Restaurant & Bar (highgradefoods.com), jerk chicken’s an obvious go-to. Two more German options, both longstanding and outstanding: Uwe’s (uwesgermanrestaurant.com) and Edelweiss (edelweissrest.com). Eat more Italian with beloved town classics Roman Villa (tinyurl.com/ romvill-nevada) and Luigi’s (luigiscoloradosprings.com), or hit Panino’s Downtown location (paninos.com) for a calzone. Red Gravy (redgravyco.com) does it up more than right and Rasta Pasta (realrastapasta.com) does a totally unique Italian-Jamaican fusion. Among many pizza choices, most are American styles, but Stellina Pizza Cafe (stellinapizza.co) does a Roman pie and Duca’s Neapolitan Pizza (ducaspizza.com) plays it pretty true Italian.

Moving over to an Asian-food catchall: Anju Korean Eats ( facebook.com/anjukoreaneats) is inside COATI and Dozo (dozosushico.com) has built a rabid following on Eighth Street. Pho-NThai (phonthai.business.site) fills in just fine near Fillmore Street and Saigon Cafe (coloradosaigoncafe.com) is a lauded Downtown staple for Vietnamese. Chiba Bar (chibabar.co) is an industry favorite and unique gem, existing as the town’s sole cyberpunk izakaya. One door down you’ve got Yoo Mae (yoomae.com) and a couple blocks farther there’s the longstanding and always hoppin’ Fujiyama Sushi ( fujiyamasushi.com).

Other Mediterranean destinations are Taste of Jerusalem (tasteofjerusalemcafe.com) for a great shawarma or kebab and Mediterranean Cafe (medcafe-co.com) for fresh salads and amazing platters. For Mexican consider Azada Mexican ( facebook. com/azadamexicangrillCS) for a bangin’ burrito or Dos Santos (dossantostacos.com) for terrific tacos. For French, you’ve got La Baguette ( facebook.com/LabaguetteCS) for locally famous French onion soup, and Paris Crepe (tinyurl.com/parisc-tejon) for killer crepes with creative fillings. Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub & Restaurant (jackquinnspub.com) is a vital community fixture, much more than just a bar. And to finish our entire journey around the world, Downtown does also offer cuisine from two countries that no other part of town has hit for us: Guam (yes another U.S. territory technically) with Chamorro-proud Hafa Adai (facebook. com/hafaadaifiestafood) tucked in a narrow alleyway. And Taiwan, with Formosa Bites (facebook.com/formosabitesco), formerly a food truck that’s located in The Well (wellinthesprings.com).

Have we missed places? Absolutely. You can’t hit it all in one go around the world. But in my years of actual global travel, I’ve found it helps to leave some stones unturned for inspiration to venture farther. Comment on this story online if we missed one

Bryan Oller

Fujiyama

Chef Brother Luck (Four by Brother Luck & Folklore) | chefbrotherluck.com, fourbybrotherluck. com

Fine Dining

The Famous: A Steak House thefamoussteakhouse.net

Overall Restaurant/

Lunch/Craft Cocktail

Menu/Neighborhood Restaurant, South/Neighborhood Bar, South Shuga’s | shugas.com

New Restaurant (since 7.1.21)

OCC Brewing | occbrewing.com

Breakfast/Brunch/Local or Regional Chain

Urban Egg: a daytime eatery urbaneggeatery.com

Bakery Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery dutchpastry.com

Chocolatier/Confections

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Old Colorado City tinyurl.com/rmcf-cs-22

Dessert Menu

Marigold Café & Bakery marigoldcoloradosprings.com

Donuts Amy’s Donuts | amysdonuts.com

Frozen Treat Josh & John’s Ice Cream joshandjohns.com

Smoothie and Juice Bar Ola Juice Bar | olajuicebar.com

Drive-Thru Coffee Dutch Bros | dutchbros.com

Local Coffee Shop/Coffee

Roaster

Loyal Coffee | loyalcoffee.co

Barbecue

Front Range Barbeque frbbq.com

Burger Skirted Heifer | skirtedheifer.com

Local

Diner/Green Chile

King’s Chef Diner kingschefdiner.com

Pizza Slice 420 | slice420.com

Seafood Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar jaxfishhouse.com/coloradosprings

Steak MacKenzie’s Chop House mackenzieschophouse.com

Tacos/Cheap Eats

Monica’s Taco Shop; 719-4731996, Fillmore; 719-400-2557, Jamboree; 719-597-7022, Palmer Park

Bryan Oller

2022 FOOD, DRINK AND NIGHTLIFE BEST OF GOLD WINNERS

Neighborhood Restaurant, North Colorado Mountain Brewery cmbrew.com

Wings O’Furry’s | ofurryscs.com

Gluten-Free-Friendly TAPAteria | tapateria.com

Vegetarian & Vegan Burrowing Owl | burrowingowllounge.com

Caterer Picnic Basket Catering Collective pbcatering.com

Patio/Dog-Friendly Restaurant Cerberus Brewing Company cerberusbrewingco.com

Food Truck Chef Bob’s Lobstah Trap thelobstahtrap.com

Late-Night Dining/ Upscale Bar

The Rabbit Hole rabbitholedinner.com

Restaurant for Tourists

Phantom Canyon Brewing Company | phantomcanyon.com

Neighborhood Restaurant, Downtown Poor Richard’s/Rico’s poorrichardsdowntown.com

Neighborhood Restaurant, East Wooglin’s Deli wooglinsdeli.com

Cajun Springs Orleans springsorleans.com

Caribbean Rasta Pasta | realrastapasta.com

Chinese Coal Mine Dragon, Uintah Street coalminedragoncs.com

German Edelweiss German Restaurant edelweissrest.com

French La Baguette, Old Colorado City labaguette-co.com

Indian Little Nepal Restaurant & Bar lnepal.com

Irish Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub & Restaurant | jackquinnspub.com

Italian/Neighborhood Restaurant, West Paravicini’s Italian Bistro paravicinis.com

Japanese and Sushi Fujiyama | fujiyamasushi.com

Korean Tokki | facebook.com/tokkicolorado

Latin American Monse’s Pupuseria | monsestasteofelsalvador.online

Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Jake and Telly’s Greek Taverna jakeandtellys.com

Mexican Crystal Park Cantina crystalparkcantina.com

Thai Wild Ginger Thai Restaurant facebook.com/WildGingerThaiRestaurant

Vietnamese

Saigon Café | coloradosaigoncafe.com

Overall Bar/Dive Bar/ Sports Bar/ Neighborhood Bar, Downtown Tony’s | tonysdowntownbar.com

New Bar/Brewery (since 7.1.21)

La Burla Bee | laburlabee.com

Taproom (Beer)

Trails End Taproom and Craft Eatery | trailsendtaproom.com

Brewery/Brewpub

Goat Patch Brewing Company goatpatchbrewing.com

Locally Produced Beer

Hazy IPA, Goat Patch Brewing Company | goatpatchbrewing. com

Distillery/Tasting Room (Spirits)

Axe and the Oak | axeandtheoak. com

Wine Bar

Cork & Cask | corkandcaskdrinks. com

Margarita

The Loop | theloopatmanitou. com

Happy Hour Menu

Odyssey Gastropub | odysseygastropub.com

Cider House Boxing Brothers | mcbev.com/ boxingbrothers

Store for Spirits/Wine/ Craft Beer

Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer and Spirits | coaltrainwine.com

Neighborhood Bar, North Public House at The Alexander thepublichouseco.com

Neighborhood Bar, East Wobbly Olive | wobblyolive.com

Neighborhood Bar, West Mother Muff’s | mothermuffs. com

Crystal Park Cantina | Mexican

Monse’s Pupuseria | Latin American

Bryan Oller

Bryan Oller

LIVE MUSIC IS BACK.

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