Boats and Burritos ⛵️

April 3 - Cardboard Boats, Announcements, Live Music, Fossil Trace Golf Course

Author

The Golden Goose
April 03, 2025

Good morning, Golden! April’s off to a delightfully weird start—just how we like it. We’ve got free burritos paid for by a phone company this Saturday, boat races made of cardboard next Saturday, and golf courses on clay quarries and dino tracks. Let’s dive in!

In today’s issue:

  • ⛵️On A Boat. A Cardboard Boat.

  • 📣 Sign Ups, Announcements, & Reminders

  • 📆 Upcoming Events

  • 🎵 Live Music

  • 🔎 Around Golden: Fossil Trace Golf Course

Weather Forecast

Thursday ☔️

Friday ❄️

Saturday 🌤️

39 🌡️ 29

36 🌡️ 24

42 🌡️ 26

⛵️On A Boat. A Cardboard Boat.

🎶 “Everybody look at me ‘cause I’m standing on a boat!” 🎶
That’s the soundtrack in my head every time someone mentions a boat. That, plus “I got my swim trunks and my flippie-floppies”—which, incidentally, is exactly what Mines students will need for this annual event.

Save the date! On Saturday, April 12th at 9 a.m., head to Clear Creek with the fam to watch some of the best engineering minds at Mines attempt to race their handmade cardboard boats down the river. And yes—some of them will go overboard. It’s science. And also hilarious.

🎥 Watch last year’s splashy spectacle here:

📣 Sign Ups, Announcements, & Reminders

👉️ The Golden Farmer’s Market is is looking for local musicians. Apply now through April 18th.

👉️ Golden Mountain Runner’s Charity Backyard Run Signups. Capped at first 50 signups, all registration proceeds go to Sun Valley Kitchen & Community Center. “The backyard Format:  Run one [4.17 mile lap] every hour until only one runner remains…” The race is May 5 at 8am. See Golden Mountain Runner’s homepage to get more deets.

👉️ Red Rocks pre-sales this week: Mumford & Sons, Lindsey Sterling, Skrillex, deadmau5, & more. Plan your summer of music & subscribe to their newsletter to get the latest pre-sale announcements.

📆 Upcoming Events

TODAY (4/3)

FRIDAY (4/4)

  • 🪩 Party Bus to Red Rocks Mersiv Show (4/4 @ 5pm) - Park at Goosetown Station and take the bus to Red Rocks. Advanced tickets for the bus are required so be sure to buy them ➡️ here.

  • 🦖 First Friday Night at the Museum (4/4 @ 6pm) - FREE. “Come to the museum every First Friday night from March through August for live music, cash bar, special guests, hands-on activities and after-hours fun for the whole family!” Friday’s event will have bismuth making (did not know what that was, but looks pretty neat).

  • 🚂 Colorado Rails & Cocktails at the Colorado Railroad Museum (4/4 @ 7pm) - A museum, two drinks, a movie, AND a presentation for $20?! “An Evening of Colorado History. Relax, have a beverage, and travel back to a time when railroads shaped the American West. Join us for an evening at the movies! We’ll be showing A Ticket to Tomahawk.”

SATURDAY (4/5)

  • 🌯 FREE Bonfire Burrito (4/5 @ 7am) - Verizon’s picking up the tab at Bonfire until it runs dry—early birds score a free burrito and NA drink, so line up before doors open!

  • 📓 Test Anxiety + Prep Workshop for Students (4/5 @ 10am-3pm) - “…designed for middle school, high school, and early college students. Learn practical strategies to manage stress, boost confidence, and study smarter — not harder!” Offered as three 1.5-hour evening sessions OR one 5-hour Saturday session (Includes Lunch!) on 4/5.

  • 👰 Spring Wedding Show at Boettcher Mansion (4/5 @ 11am) - “Attend this complimentary wedding show and meet professional vendors who will make your wedding an event to remember!”

  • 🍺 Drag Bingo at Holidaily (4/5 @ 11am) - “Join us at the Golden Taproom for Drag Bingo with hostess Shirley Delta Blow and friends for delightful food and beer while playing some bingo!”

  • 🎭️ The Adventures of Juan Bobo at Miner’s Theater (4/5 @ 1pm) - This play (told in both English and Spanish) will only be available for the next three Saturdays. Great for all ages.

  • 🎻 Mount Vernon Canyon Club Presents Our Spring Concert & Elegant Dinner Featuring Tunisia Band (4/5 @ 5:30pm) - “Mount Vernon is a private Club, and we rarely open events to the public! This is a must attend!
    The Tunisia Band's dynamic and energetic performance will keep you on your feet, dancing the night away!” Tickets are $80 and must be purchased in advance ➡️ here.

SUNDAY (4/6)

  • 💃 Sunday Swing at Buffalo Rose (4/6 @ 5pm) - Learn to swing with a free dance lesson from 4-5pm, then enjoy big bad jazz music from 5-7:30pm by the Flatirons Jazz Orchestra. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the door.

FUTURE EVENTS:

  • ☕️ Coffee with Councilors - Creating a Defensible Space (4/7 @ 6pm) - “Join your City Councilors for an important conversation about wildfire prevention and creating a defensible space around your home…This session will focus on practical steps you can take to protect your property and reduce wildfire risks in our community with our Golden Fire Department.”

  • ☕️ Golden Startup Coffee with VIRV, Inc & Time to Play (4/9 @ 9am) - Join this morning meetup to hear two entrepreneurs speak about their companies at Morris & Mae Collective.

  • ⛵️ Mine’s Cardboard Boat Race (4/12 @ 9am) - While E-Days at Mine’s is a celebratory weekend full of fun engineering challenges for students, there’s one event that you shouldn’t miss…the cardboard boat race down Clear Creek. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Spectators are welcome and encouraged!

  • 🧁 Goldmine Cupcakes (4/12) - The store will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary the weekend of April 12th, which will include deals, giveaways, and raffle prizes.

  • 🐕️ Yappy Hour at Holidaily Brewing (4/11 @ 5-8pm) - Sun Pup Co is celebrating National Pet Day at Holidaily Brewing. Bring your doggos, sip a beer, and shop local pet-friendly vendors! Be sure to RSVP for FREE ➡️ here.

  • 🥃 State 38’s 12th Anniversary Party (4/11 @ 4-7pm) - “Enjoy 12% off cocktails in our tasting room. Take home your favorite bottles at 12% off. Come celebrate with us, sip on your favorite drinks, and toast to the next chapter of State 38 Distilling.”

  • 🎨 Art Installation Celebration (4/12 @ 10:30am) - Join the Public Art Commission at New Loveland Mine Park for the unveiling of two new art pieces—plus words from the Mayor, the artist, and more. This is the first of six arty parties this year!

  • 🥃 State 38 Cocktail Class (4/12 @ 4-5:30pm) - “Join us for an evening under the still and barrels to learn how to create two signature State 38 cocktails.” Get your tickets ➡️ here.

  • 🍺 100th Golden Beer Talk! (4/15 @ 6pm) - “The Beer Talks team recently did a count and realized that April will be our 100th Beer Talk! To celebrate the occasion, we’re departing a bit from our usual format. Instead of one speaker and one topic, we’ve invited several of our past speakers to give us rapid-fire updates on their projects.”

  • 🤠 Western on Washington (4/18 @ 5-11pm) - Join for the downtown pub crawl, dancing, live music, a silent auction, a Cowboy Carter Salute at 8pm, and delicious BBQ. It’s a lil bit country and a lil bit rock n’ roll this year! Event takes place at the Buffalo Rose, and tickets start at $55.

  • 👒 Kentucky Derby Hat Making at Golden Outpost (4/19 @ 2pm) - “Your ticketed experience includes a derby hat to decorate, decorations, two mint juleps (cocktail or mocktail), light charcuterie snacks, Derby games, a hatmaster to lead the craft and all the supplies needed to craft your derby hat!” Tickets are limited so be sure to get them ➡️ here.

  • 💛 BGOLDN Spring Event at The Golden Mill (4/24 @ 5-8pm) - Live music, sushi, bike tunes, drawings, and more. “This special giveback day will help feed our neighbors in Golden.”

  • ⛑️ Wilderness First Aid for Climbers by Golden Mountain Guides (4/25) - “We identified that climbers face unique challenges when faced with a medical emergency. We often have limited gear, and limited resources. Learn the skills needed to keep yourself and your group safe…Hurry, these spots fill quick!” See a complete list of scheduled courses in the link.

  • 🧘 Yoga and Sound Bath by the Creek at The Golden Hotel (4/27 @ 10am) - “We will embark on a 55 minute yoga flow followed by a 20 minute sound bath experience.” Reserve your ticket for $35 ➡️ here.

  • 🏃 SOAR 5K Run (4/28 @ 8-10am) - Kids run for FREE, and there will be kids events like a 4H drop-in program and face painting. All proceeds go directly to the Welchester PTA, which helps pay for things like field trips, playground equipment, and community events for Golden’s only Title 1 school.

🎵 Live Music

🔎 Around Golden: Fossil Trace Golf Course

There are golf courses—and then there’s Fossil Trace Golf Club in Golden, where your tee shot might just land next to a triceratops track.

Located just a fossilized stone’s throw from downtown Golden, this 18-hole wonder is part golf course, part time machine. Built atop a 19th-century clay quarry, the site was originally mined in 1877 by a Welsh-born brickmaker named George Parfet. For over a century, Parfet’s clay was baked into the bricks that built some of Denver’s most iconic buildings—including the Governor’s Mansion and both East and South High Schools.

The clay-mining operation remained in the Parfet family until 2002, when George’s great-great-grandson, Chip Parfet, sold part of the site to the City of Golden. Enter golf course architect Jim Engh, who sculpted those clay pits and sandstone ridges into one of Colorado’s most beloved public golf courses.

Forget sand traps—how about prehistoric footprints and rusting mining equipment traps? Fossil Trace is littered with relics from both the industrial and Jurassic eras, making it a playground for golfers and amateur paleontologists.

Sources: 5280 & GolfPass

THANKS!

Until next week—may your coffee be strong, your burrito free, and your cardboard boat unsinkable. 🪿