Dog Days of Summer

Image courtesy Pixabay

It is hard to believe that today is the last day of July - time flies! As we enter the "dog days of summer," we wanted to share some activities that you can do alongside your canine companions! Golden is a very dog-friendly town, from restaurants, to attractions, to outdoor activities. Why leave the dog at home if it can join you on your daily or weekend outings?

Restaurants (via Bring Fido)
Golden City Brewery: Beer and man's best friend - what could be more ideal? At Golden City Brewery, pets are welcome to join their owners at its courtyard tables.

Cannonball Creek Brewing: Breweries must love dogs! Dogs are allowed both indoors and outside at Cannonball Creek.

Anthony's Pizza and Pasta: Enjoy a slice outdoors - dogs are allowed out on the patio!

Mountain Toad Brewing: Great brews and great company - dogs are permitted on Mountain Toad's patio!

Attractions (via Visit Golden)
KONG Company Field Trip: KONG has been manufacturing rubber chew toys for years, and understands that your dogs need variety (or else they'll chew your shoes). The company produces a wide range of products and different dogs need different types of toys. For example, an active dog requires a different toy than a constant chewer. Take a trip there to find your dog's ideal style!

Spaw Day at The Green Paw: For many people, pets aren't just animals, but part of the family. As we would our children, we love to spoil our pets, too. Treat your pet to a "spaw" day at The Green Paw! Voted "Best of the Best Grooming 2014," uses "natural, nourishing and environmentally responsible products" to bathe and groom to perfection.

Outdoors (via Visit Golden)
Jog on City Trails: If you have an active dog, going for a run on any of Golden's paved or mountain trails will be a fun workout for both dog and owner! Did you know the City of Golden has 24 miles of trails?

Puppy Playtime at the Park: Golden has two city dog parks where your dog can socialize, play and make new friends! Tony Grampass Memorial Sports Complex's dog park allows pets to run and roam off-leash. Just remember to keep your dog leashed until you are within the dog park, and to bring a towel in case the grounds are damp. If you have a smaller dog, Homer's Run Dog Park is probably better suited for you.

Once completed, Outlook Golden Ridge will also be very dog-friendly. Our community will have its own "paw spa" where you can rinse off your dog after a day at the park! We will also have our own "bark park" on-site! We want your pets to feel right at home, too! Until then, take your dog on a field trip to any of the above-mentioned locations for a day of excitement!

Cheesman Park Art Fest

Image courtesy Pixabay

One fabulous aspect of living in Golden is easy access to the city of Denver while coming home to a quiet suburb. If you enjoy driving into Denver for weekend events, this weekend, view works of art from around the nation at Denver's historic Cheesman Park.  If you are in search of something to do that involves arts and the outdoors, look no further - this weekend the park will host the 3rd Annual Cheesman Park Art Festival! Art, food and fun converge into one location on July 25 and 26.

More than 100 juried artists and merchants from throughout the country will converge upon Capital Hill's, and our neighborhood's own, Cheesman Park this weekend for the festival. Guests will encounter any and all types of art imaginable, including pottery, jewelry, glass art, paintings and more. The two-day, outdoor show will take place along the park's tree-lined greenscape, off of 8th Ave. Hours for the festival are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. 

Complementing the artistic atmosphere will be local musicians, food trucks, demonstrations and kid's activities. Participating food trucks include: El Toro the Tot, Tacos La Tapatia, Deer Creek Pizza, Cilantro Truck and more. Visitors are encouraged to take public transportation, walk, or bike to the event. However, since you will likely be traveling by car to the event, parking will be available along 8th Ave. The drive from your future home at Outlook Golden Ridge to Cheesman Park is only 30 minutes! What's even better? This event is free to attend! 

One important (non) factor is the weather - the forecast looks mostly sunny for the weekend with temperatures in upper 80s! Walk over to the festival, cool off with some ice cream, and take a look at the works of art! If you wanted to make a day out of the event, pack up a picnic basket or blanket to lay out and enjoy the scenery before or after the festival. Sounds like a pretty perfect day trip, doesn't it?

It's close to home, it's free and it's fun - what else could you want from a local event? Visit the park this weekend and enjoy all that Cheesman Park Art Fest has to offer!

Saddle Up for Buffalo Bill Days

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One of the coolest aspects of living in Golden is its history. Can you believe we live in what used to actually be the "wild west" and that Buffalo Bill is buried here? Regardless of whether you're new in town or have lived here for years, you have surely heard of the huge celebration that is "Buffalo Bill Days." Buffalo Bill Days, Golden's largest summer celebration, begins next week, running from July 22 through 26!

The History
The festival commemorates the rides taken by the Buffalo Bill Saddle Club to visit Buffalo Bill's grave on Lookout Mountain in the 1940s. In the 1960s, this was expanded to draw tourists into Downtown Golden, and included arts, crafts and other vendors. Today, the Buffalo Bill Parade symbolizes the journey to Buffalo Bill's grave and back down the mountain into Golden.

Events
Live music, golf, the aforementioned parade, mutton busting and more are what can be expected from this year's festival. The festival will begin on Wednesday, July 22 with a 1:30 p.m. golf tournament at Applewood Golf Course.

On Thursday, July 24, there will be a live entertainment from 5 to 10 p.m. at Parfet Park. Thursday's artists are Noisy Neighbor (5-6:30 p.m.) and Chris Daniels and the Kings (7-10 p.m.).

Saturday, July 25 is the big parade day! The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. along Washington Ave. between 10th and 13th Streets. Parade participants include classic cars, floats, horses and more! Be sure to arrive early to grab a good location! Cody's Wild West, a 90-minute Wild West performance, begins at 12:30 p.m. on the west end of the Lions Ball Field. From noon to 10 p.m., more live music can be enjoyed at Parfet Park.

Come back on Sunday to see the Classic Car Show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Muttin Bustin at 10 a.m. at the Lions Ball Fields, and live concerts from 2-5 p.m. at the park!

Relive some of our town's history and get to know some fellow Golden community members! Downtown Golden is only a 10-minute drive away from your future home at Outlook Golden Ridge!

Additional sources consulted:
Visit Golden

Best Area Ice Cream

Image courtesy Pixabay

Whether you prefer gelato, frozen custard or ice cream, there is no better time to indulge in a sweet treat like an ice cream cone than during the month of July! Why now? Not just because July is in the middle of the summer, but because July is National Ice Cream month! In fact, National Ice Cream Day is July 19, so make sure you take advantage of the excuse to eat this creamy dessert to your heart's content. Make sure you add these area ice cream shoppes to your ice cream tasting tour:

Scrumptious
Voted Best Ice Cream Shop in Denver last year, Scrumptious not only serves quality ice cream, but also candy and bottled sodas. What sets Scrumptious apart is its dedication to "all good" ice cream, meaning their ice cream is homemade to satisfy your tastebuds using as many all natural ingredients as possible. Scrumptious has two locations, one in Arvada and one in Longmont.

Sweet Cow
With locations in Boulder, Denver and Louisville, Sweet Cow serves fresh small batch ice cream made with local ingredients. Sweet Cow offers 9 "staple" flavors, including Super Delicious Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Cookie, Ozo Coffee, Cookies and Cream, Butter Pecan, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Dutch Chocolate and Strawberry. Eleven other seasonal flavors are included in the flavor selection. Sweet Cow also crafts sundaes, milkshakes and cakes, too.

Sweet Action
Sweet Action is the ice cream shoppe where both vegans and nonvegans can enjoy a delicious dessert of ice cream or sorbet. Vegan flavors include Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Pomegranate Sorbet and Raspberry Lime Sorbet. Denver Westword has described Sweet Action as "Best Ice Cream for the Milk-Averse." Regular ice cream flavors include Stranahan's Whiskey Brickle, Molasses and Colorado Margarita. You can visit Sweet Action along Broadway Street in Denver.

Golden Sweets
Don't worry, we didn't forget hometown favorite Golden Sweets! Golden Sweet's old-fashioned ice cream parlor will fill you with nostalgia, even if you didn't grow up here. From malts to milkshakes to sodas and sundaes, you can get practically any sweet treat you desire here. Golden Sweets is located along Washington Ave.

Hungry yet? On a night where you just want to sit outdoors and enjoy the summertime weather, take a drive to one of these local ice cream shoppes and feel like a kid again! Each of these locations is within a 25-minute drive of your future home at Outlook Golden Ridge!

Additional sources consulted:
Eater Denver
Thrillist

Red, White and Golden!

Image courtesy Pixabay

Tomorrow, our country celebrates its 239th birthday! While the city of Golden may be a small one, it is going all out to celebrate the holiday - from the First Friday Street Fair to the 2015 Lions Club July 4th Festival! Enjoy the extra day off by spending time with friends, family, and fellow Golden community members.

First Friday Street Fair
Today, July 3, marks the annual First Friday Street Fair. The "First Fridays" will run the first Friday of every month through September. The event takes place on Washington Avenue, between 12th and 13th Streets, with the festivities running from 5 PM through 8 PM. Guests will enjoy food, vendors, live music and more! This event is the perfect way to kick off the holiday weekend!

2015 Lions Club July 4th Festival
The annual July 4th Festival will take place at Lions Park on 10th Street, starting at noon on Saturday. Activities throughout the day include live music from The Johnny O. Band, Chuck Hughes and The New Classic Band, food, rides and face painting. The festivities will culminate with a spectacular fireworks display at dusk. Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnics to the celebration, too.

This exciting community event is free to attend, however raffle tickets will be on sale to help defray the costs of the event's production. Raffle winners will be announced throughout the day, leading up to the grand prize winners' announcement shortly before the fireworks display.

Guests are also asked to bring any worn American flags they may have to donate to the Gettysburg Flag Company. This company recycles old flags and sends the stars to military troops to carry in their pockets.

Both of these holiday events are  just a 10 minute drive from your new apartment home at Outlook Golden Ridge! Even if you would like to have a cookout first, this still leaves plenty of time to join the community later on in the day, or in time for the fireworks!

What are your big weekend plans? Whether it's trying a new barbecue recipe, lounging by the pool or attending these events, we want to know! Share your plans with us on Outlook Golden Ridge's Facebook and Twitter pages! Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Sources consulted:
City of Golden
Visit Golden
The Denver Post