Serving the community since 1866
WEEK OF JANUARY 30, 2025
VOLUME 159 | ISSUE 5
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Lookout Mountain Road is now closed every night First responders, administrators testing overnight gate access through Jan. 28 BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Around 2011, CCG moved to the American Mountaineering Center in downtown Golden, Russell and fellow board member Susie Knight explained. The 2021 show was canceled because of COVID-19 but returned in January 2022. However, the organizers decided to forgo the 2023 show, but returned in 2024 at a new Golden venue. “It worked out for our crowd,” Knight said. “The Buffalo Rose was calling our name. … (Golden’s) Western connection just calls to cowboy culture.”
Any locals wanting to drive up to or down from Lookout Mountain at night should find an alternative route. A 4.1-mile stretch of Lookout Mountain Road across parklands will be closed to motor vehicles all night, every night, Jeffco Open Space officials have announced. The closure went into effect Jan. 29. The only exceptions will be for first responders and those with administrative access, like the local water district and the antenna operators, and in emergency situations like evacuations. The road will be closed when the surrounding park areas close, which is one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise. In the winter, this is roughly 7 p.m.-5 a.m. “We are encouraging motorists to plan accordingly if they travel after hours and choose alternate routes to reach their destination,” JCOS spokesman Matt Robbins stated in an Jan. 15 email update on the road closure. Robbins confirmed the transmission lines and transformers at both the lower and upper gate sites have been installed. JCOS staff, first responders and those with administrative access were scheduled to test their overnight access through Jan. 15-28. “Motorists can anticipate intermittent closures and overnight closures through the testing and training period,” Robbins continued. Lookout Mountain Road will be open overnight for pedestrians and cyclists only.
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Doug Figgs performs at the Colorado Cowboy Gathering’s “Kickin’ It Off” show Jan. 17 at the Buffalo Rose. This year’s Colorado Cowboy Gathering feaPHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN tured 10 poetry and musical acts from four states.
Cowboys & Friends
Colorado Cowboy Gathering performers, organizers reflect on importance of Western lifestyle, storytelling BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In the song “Night Rider’s Lament,” a cowboy reads a letter from home asking: “Why do you ride for your money? / Tell me: Why do you rope for short pay? / You ain’t a’gettin’ nowhere / And you’re losin’ your share / Boy, you must have gone crazy out there.” Perhaps some Colorado Cowboy Gathering attendees ask themselves the same thing every year, when the performers get on stage to sing songs and recite poems about long
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cattle drives, lonely nights in the wilderness, dangerous outlaws and other challenges one might face on the Western Frontier. As those performers and organizers will explain, the cowboy lifestyle is certainly hard, but it’s also very rewarding. “I’m grateful and blessed to remain in this lifestyle,” emcee Dennis Russell said. Over the Jan. 17-19 weekend, the Colorado Cowboy Gathering returned to Golden for its annual shows at the Buffalo Rose. This year’s show featured 10 musical and poetry acts from four states.
The Jan. 17 “Kickin’ It Off ” show was practically sold out with more than 200 attendees packed onto the main floor and spread around the balcony to enjoy a mix of original and classic cowboy poems and songs. Russell was thankful for “so much participation,” as well as the quality of performers who traveled to Golden for the occasion. The Colorado Cowboy Gathering started 36 years ago at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities and typically coincides with the National Western Stock Show.
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VOICES: 8 | LIFE: 10| SPORTS: 13
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