Western Welcome Week Parade 2021

I love parades! The Chicago suburb where I grew up always had a huge 4th of July Parade. In fact, every town in our area had their own big 4th of July parade. When I moved to Colorado, though, I was surprised that most towns didn't have such a celebration. I later found that was because they would have other summer parades instead. One of the biggest parades in the Denver area takes place each August in Littleton at the end of Western Welcome Week. 

The event dates back to 1929 and originally was intended to mark the 100th birthday of Littleton's founder, Richard Little. Over the years, the event has become an annual week-long celebration of the community and its western history.

The parade goes right down Main Street, through downtown Littleton, and always features a wide range of representatives from the Littleton community. You'll see police and fire departments, cub scouts, karate schools, theater groups, churches, and many more community organizations represented. There are also always plenty of equestrian entries in the parade; very appropriate considering our region's western heritage. Then there are the marching bands! All of the Littleton high schools bring out their bands and are joined by bands from neighboring communities like Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Aurora and Elizabeth. This year the long-distance travel award went to a band that came all the way from Pueblo.

Of course, last year the Western Welcome Week Parade didn't happen. I admit to having had a bit of an emotional swell as I watched this year. Seeing everybody back smiling and clapping and cheering was kind of magical. I took a ton of pictures, but I'm just going to share a handful here. It was an awesome celebration and it felt so good to be back!

Tubing on Clear Creek

When you visit a beach community, it is not uncommon to see folks walking through the streets in their swimsuits, carrying inflatable floating devices. That's not a common sight in Colorado, however. That is, unless you happen to be heading through Golden on a hot summer day. That's when the folks come out in droves to do some tubing down Clear Creek.

Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River that runs down from the mountains through various mountain communities, including Georgetown and Idaho Springs, before going through Clear Creek Canyon and reaching Golden. From there the creek continues on to Denver. Basically, the water that flows down the creek was once upon a time the mountain snow from the previous winter. Therefore, the creek is usually quite cool and refreshing.

Tubers often start in the vicinity of 6th Avenue and travel down the creek through downtown Golden. There are various places to pull over, so to speak, and then walk back up the Clear Creek Trail and go again. The creek flows into the property of Coors, so you have to stop before you get to the brewery.

Even if you decide to just kick off your shoes and dip your feet in the water, this section of Clear Creek is pleasant place to spend part of a warm day.

Evergreen Lake Trail

It's a beautiful holiday weekend in Colorado! Yesterday, we took the opportunity to head up to the mountain town of Evergreen to take our dog for a stroll around the Evergreen Lake Trail. The lake is located in Dedisse Park which is just west of downtown Evergreen.

The lake can be a busy place, with paddle boating in the warmer months and ice skating in the colder months. Parking places were a bit hard to come by yesterday. The short walk around the lake was a lot of fun, though. We even got a small rain shower to help cool things off a bit.

The east side of the lake is marked by Evergreen Dam. Built between 1925 and 26, the dam sees a constant flow of water cascading over it and continuing down Bear Creek as it twists its way through the front range toward Morrison.

There are a number of pieces of art which can be found near Evergreen Dam, and several more which can be found on the other side of the lake, near the Lake House. One of the pieces depicts Olympic figure skater Peggy Fleming, who trained, as many Olympians do, in Colorado Springs, and who remains a resident of Colorado. The sculpture was just dedicated in 2020.

Whether you're into nature or art, the Evergreen Lake Trail is a wonderful spot to spend some time away from the city.  It is located just off of Bear Creek Rd. on the west side of Evergreen.

Title Unknown

Kelle III by Tom Ware

Ann Louise by David Wright

Mountain Man by Frederic Remington

Bear Chair by Julie Jones Denkers

Peggy Fleming Tribute by Harold Linke

The three wood carvings above can all be found near the dam.

This small memorial is also found near the dam. 

Highlands Ranch Classic Car Show 2021

 

Life is beginning to return to normal! Not "New Normal," NORMAL. Everything was shut down last year, but now some of the events we missed out on are coming back. I happen to enjoy car shows. I'm not a gearhead by any stretch of the imagination. To me, as long as the car has four wheels and a seat and gets me where I need to go, I'm cool. However, car shows have become one of my favorite photography subjects. So, while out doing some errands yesterday, I swung by the Highlands Ranch Classic Car Show.

This was the 21st year for this event, conducted by the Highlands Ranch Cultural Affairs Association. It is held in the parking lot of Cherry Hills Community Church, which is one of the largest churches in the Highlands Ranch area.

Now, don't ask me to give you details on any of these cars. I don't know anything about them, I just like taking pictures of them. So, enjoy a bit of a photo dump. It's so great to see these events returning!

Rickenbaugh Park - Children's Hospital Sculpture Garden

The area around the intersection of Colfax and Interstate 225 in Aurora is a bit of a medical hub. Actually, that's an understatement. It's a HUGE medical hub. Several hospitals and medical training facilities are located in the space of just a few blocks. One of the largest facilities in the area is Children's Hospital. Since it's no fun being in the hospital, and it's even less fun having a kid in the hospital, Children's has a very welcoming feel. Among the features is a sculpture garden in the front of the facility known as Rickenbaugh Park. It is worth a visit even when you don't have a loved one spending time at the hospital.

Let's take a look at some of the pieces you'll find.

Harlequin by Craig Ponzio
This piece is visible from Colfax as you drive by the hospital

La Dolce by James Vilona

Eclipse by Jesus Moroles

Star Catcher by John King

Bench by Jesus Moroles

Name and artist unknown

The Classics by George Lundeen

Tres Osos by Dan Ostermiller

Fat Happy by Barrett DeBusk

The adjacent hospital parking structure also features some unique artwork that appears to have been created by some of Aurora's youngest citizens.

Children's Hospital is located at 13123 E 16th Ave in Aurora. That address can be a bit misleading, though. Think of it this way, it's one block west of I-225 off Colfax.