Jolly Vernal Equinox 🌷

March 20 - Run groups, live music, & Heritage Square history

Author

The Golden Goose
March 20, 2025

Good morning, Golden! Happy first day of spring—also known as the vernal equinox (which I just learned…so now I feel very scholarly). I’ll be spending the day wishing people a “jolly vernal equinox” in my best British accent, purely to sound more sophisticated. 🥸

In today’s issue:

  • 🏃 Running Groups of Golden

  • 📆 Upcoming Events

  • 🎵 Live Music

  • 🔎 Around Golden: Heritage Square

Weather Forecast

Thursday 🌤️

Friday 🌤️

Saturday 💨

56 🌡️ 35

55 🌡️ 36

61 🌡️ 37

🏃 Running Groups of Golden

Spring has officially sprung, and for many, that means it’s time to dust off those running shoes and hit the trails! Whether you’re looking for motivation, a good time, or just an excuse to meet new people, Golden’s got plenty of running groups to keep you moving.

Check their websites and/or social media for the most up-to-date schedules, but as of recently, here’s where you can find each running crew:

Monday: 
Golden Mountain Runners @ 6:00am
Cannonball Brewing @ 6:30pm

Other:
Parent Run Club - Next run is 3/30 @ 8:30am

If I’m missing any, please reply to this email with the run group info, and I’ll be sure to update this list on the web version of the newsletter. Thanks & happy running!

📆 Upcoming Events

TODAY (3/20)

  • 🧱 Golden BEYOND Days - LEGO! at the Golden Library (3/20 @ 4:15-5:15pm) - This kids and tweens event has them tap into their “budding artist and/or engineer spirit” as they craft LEGOs around a given theme.

  • 🔬Are you smarter than a 9th grader? at Over Yonder Brewing (3/20 @ 6-8pm) - Come find out at the Dinosaur Ridge Science Quiz Bowl Watch Party. “Over Yonder & Dinosaur Ridge welcome you to a Watch Party for the Dino Ridge Science Quiz Bowl where 24 high school teams from around the state compete in the ultimate science trivia competition - especially geology and paleontology.” Don’t worry, that beer will take the edge off getting schooled by a 9th grader. 😉 

FRIDAY (3/21)

  • 🥾 Back to Basics: Hiking Basics with JeffCo (3/21 @ 6pm) - Build your confidence (or child’s confidence) as a hiker in the FREE workshop, where you’ll be “working towards understanding the essentials of hiking gear, trail etiquette, and safety as the first steps towards embracing outdoor adventures.” All ages, but children must be accompanied by an adult. You can register ➡️ here. Location: Jeffco Open Space Headquarters - Ponderosa Room.

  • 😂 Funny Fridays Ft. Mike Stanley at Gnarly’s Comedy Theater (3/21 @ 7:30pm) - Golden’s new comedy club has shows every Friday. (To note, their official ribbon cutting is coming up…see below). Get your tickets ➡️ here.

  • 💄 Drag Show and Bingo at Mountain Toad (3/21 @ 8pm) - “We will be having Yvie Oddly from RuPaul‘s Drag Race (Winner of Season 11 and Finalist of All-Stars Season 7) for Friday March 21st’s ‘SNATCHED: pin-up monsters’ as our extra special guest!” Buy tickets in advance ➡️ here to save.

SATURDAY (3/22)

  • 🪚 Spring Tool Sale by Resource Central (3/22 @ 9am-5pm) - This event is in Boulder, but if you need tools, it’s worth the drive. “Resource Central’s Tool Sale is back, featuring thousands of deeply discounted tools, including power tools, hand tools, construction gear, accessories, and more.”

  • 🖼️ RRCC Visual, Audio and Media Art Gallery at Foothills Art Center (3/22 @ 11am) - “Experience a FREE 25-minute guided tour through stunning exhibitions, where a Gallery Guide will take you on a journey of discovery, conversation, and inspiration!”

  • 🍇 Grape Escape Wine Tour with Golden Outpost (3/22 @ 2pm) - The ultimate adult field trip! 🍷 Enjoy wine tastings, food pairings, games, giveaways, and live music as you visit six Golden hotspots on this festive rolling adventure. You can find tickets ➡️ here. Future dates: 3/29, 4/5, 4/12

  • 🧘 Somatic Breathwork at PranaTonic (3/22 @ 5-7pm) - THis is a “90-minute guided experience combining breath, music, and mindful awareness for healing and self-discovery…Using deep, circular breathing, this practice helps release suppressed emotions, re-pattern neural pathways, and cultivate confidence, peace, and joy.” Register ➡️ here.

FUTURE EVENTS

  • 📚️ Books & Benders Book Club at Cannonball (3/25 @ 6pm) - One week left to read (or listen to!) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. This bookclub is free and open to all ladies.

  • ✂️ Gnarly’s Theater Ribbon Cutting (3/27 @ 4:15pm) - “Join us to celebrate the grand opening of Gnarlys Theatre, Golden's newest event and entertainment venue!  The celebration will include magic and giveaways in the lobby, and a free magic show to follow the ribbon cutting.”

  • 🚿 DIY Shower Steamer Class at Earth Sweet Boutique (3/28 @ 6pm) - “Enjoy a glass of wine and learn all about how to make your own custom shower steamers at home and leave with 10, ready to use shower steamers!” Make sure to register ➡️ here, as there are only 15 spots.

  • 👩‍🎤 That Eighties Band at Buffalo Rose (3/28 @ 8pm) - That Eighties Band will be playing all of your 80's faves...from Bon Jovi to Young MC and Def Leppard and Journey to The Cure. Get your tickets ➡️ here.

  • 🪩 Party Bus to INZO at Red Rocks from Goosetown Station (3/28 @ 5:30pm) - Looking for a ride to Red Rocks? Park at Goosetown Station, have a drink, and let them do the driving for you to the show. Advance purchase required. Get your bus tickets ➡️ here.

  • 🎻 Young Artist Concert (3/30 @ 3-5:30pm) - Listen to the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with 2025 Young Artist Winner, 16 y.o. violinist Li Yuqing. This talented violinist is currently studying at the Manhattan School of Music in NYC. The performance takes place at the Green Center at Mines (924 16th Street). Ticket prices vary. Purchase your ticket ➡️ here.

  • 🎸 Golden High School Battle of the Bands at Buffalo Rose (3/30 @ 5pm) - Support the GHS Performing Arts Program with a fun night of student bands and teacher performances. You might just witness the next Blink-182 in the making—after all, they got their start at a Battle of the Bands! Be sure to purchase your tickets in advance ➡️ here.

  • 🧗 Colorado Mountain Club presents Reel Rock 19 (4/3 @ 6pm) - Hosted at Green Center at Colorado School of Mines, tickets to this climbing film festival start at $22 for General Admission. Get your tickets ➡️ here.

  • 📓 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.

  • 🐕️ 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.

  • 🤠 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.

  • 🐣 Annual Easter Brunch Buffet at Footprints Restaurant (4/20 @ 9am-3pm) - Footprints Restaurant has a tasty Easter brunch menu in the link!

  • 💛 BGOLDN Spring Event at The Golden Mill (4/24 @ 5-8pm) - “Join us for our annual BGOLDN Spring Event on Thursday, April 24 at The Golden Mill! 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.

  • 🏃 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

The former alpine slide at Heritage Square

🔎 Around Golden: Heritage Square

Golden might have been the birthplace of Disney 2.0, were it not for a series of financial missteps that derailed its most ambitious vision before it ever fully came to life. In the late 1950s, former Disneyland executive Cornelius Vanderbilt Wood Jr. and his team of theme park visionaries set out to build Magic Mountain, an immersive amusement park showcasing Colorado’s frontier past and high-tech future—what would later be known as Heritage Square, nestled at the base of Apex Gulch.

The park’s original design featured a narrow-gauge railroad and six themed areas, including an Old West downtown, Outer Space Lines, and Storybook Lane. But money ran out before the full vision could be realized. Magic Mountain shuttered in 1960, its rides sold off to Six Flags Over Texas, leaving behind an abandoned fantasyland in the foothills of Golden.

A decade later, the site was reborn as Heritage Square, a quirky Victorian-style shopping village filled with artisans, restaurants, and live entertainment. The Heritage Square Opera House, later the Heritage Square Music Hall, became legendary for its over-the-top melodramatic performances, while the Alpine Slide on Jackson Hill became a roadside landmark. But by the 2000s, ownership changes and dwindling crowds led to its slow decline. In 2018, the last remnants of the village were torn down, and the land was sold to the neighboring Martin Marietta quarry, erasing Golden’s once-grand dream of a theme park empire.

THANKS!

Thanks for reading The Golden Goose 🪿—hope you have a fantastic weekend! If you enjoyed this, spread the joy (and the local happenings) by sharing it with a friend. After all, good news is best when it’s shared! 😉