Best Boomer Towns - Town Blogs

Is Someone Bugling in Ft. Collins?

During the September through October months in the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), there is a very distinct sound that can be heard loud and clear and it sounds like a bugle you might hear being played by a marching band at a college football game. But, in fact, that bugle comes from bull elks during their mating season. The unique rutting call of bulls can be heard from dusk to dawn and some of the better locations within RMNP to hear and see the bull elks are in Horseshoe Park, Moraine Park and Upper Beaver Meadows.

Not only can you view the bull elks in RMNP but you'll also find them grazing around the town of Estes Park on golf courses and in front yards. If you are lucky you might come across a couple bull elks battling for the attention of a female elk. Typically the dominant bull elk has a full set of antlers and a bellowing bugle. Occasionally the bull elks will enter into a competitive battle ramming each other with their antlers. I was able to witness bull elks fighting a couple years ago and it was amazing to see in person...which leads me to a very important topic about watching wildlife...etiquette.

Elk gather in the open meadows and are easily visible when left undisturbed. The RMNP has strict rules to follow during the elk rut and they will not allow people to venture into the park's meadows between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. and visitors must stay on roadways and designated trails. Look for postings alerting you to areas that have been closed.

Please remember that wildlife are the natives in this area and we are the visitors! Wildlife are very keen on "personal space." In other words, they're happier if you keep your distance. Many people will bring binoculars or a telephoto lens to get a close up view of these majestic creatures. If your presence causes the elk to move away, then you are too close. Within the park, you may be cited for harassment of wildlife if your actions affect the behavior of an animal in any way. As soon as you park, turn off your car lights and engine. Shut car doors quietly and speak softly. Don't use headlights or flashlights to illuminate or entice wildlife.

Please be respectful of the wildlife so everyone can have the same enjoyment when they visit the Park.

 

 

We’ve had a very busy month in Fort Collins

We’ve had a very busy month in Fort Collins. Here are some highlights:

• There was a much needed snowstorm that dumped about 6” of heavy, wet snow to replenish our extremely dry forests. 

• We have a heated city council election going on now that could reshape the city’s view on growth, jobs and the unpopular 3 unrelated rule pertaining to rental properties. 
  

• President Obama signed a public lands bill into law designating 250,000 acres of the Rocky Mountain National Park as a wilderness area protecting the park’s vital land and water.  
  

• Fort Collins was ranked #2 by Forbes magazine’s latest list of the best places for business and careers. 
  

• A brand new library, Council Tree Library, opened in southeast Fort Collins.

• The 4^th annual boating and fishing expo is on April 4 and 5.

• The Harlem Globetrotters will be playing at the Budweiser Event Center in April.

• The Broncos had their hands forced to entertain trading their starting quarterback, Jay Cutler, over a silly dispute. 
  

• The annual Easter egg hunts all around town are preparing for excited children looking for their yellow peeps and bunny shaped chocolate treats. 
  

• And let’s not forget Ben & Jerry’s free ice cream cone day on April 21…get in line behind me as I might camp out for that one! 

 

 Lots of fun and exciting things are happening in Fort Collins so don’t miss out.  Just found out that we have another round of winter storms hitting us on April 1, but I don’t know if that is real or if the meteorologists are playing an April fools prank on us.  See you soon.

 

 

Fort Collins St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Come out and celebrate the Fort Collins St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 14th at 10am.  The parade begins on the north side of Old Town Square on Walnut Avenue.  Join in the festivities! The parade is full of local businesses like Gib’s Bagels tossing out free green bagels, a local nursery performing a dance with red Ryder wagons and the always entertaining Bassett Hounds marching dressed in their Irish outfits…they are definitely the highlight for the children.  This is a great excuse to take the family to Old Town for some free entertainment and then mingle around the shops and restaurants doing your part to stimulate the local economy!  Look for me as I’ll be wearing my traditional Irish Sweater and Scully cap.

The Great Plates of Downtown

The Great Plates of Downtown is a unique event in Fort Collins taking place from March 1 – 14, 2009.  Celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Fort Collins, Colorado with this wonderful dining event.  The City of Fort Collins was founded in 1868 and over 25 participating restaurants will offer dining specials at the price of $18.68.

Each participating restaurant will be offering their own individual dinner special.  The meals will vary and could be a multiple course meal, dinner for four or a gourmet feast for one very hungry person.

For a list of the participating restaurants visit the Downtown Business Association’s website at www.downtownfortcollins.com.  Here are a few of my favorite restaurants that are participating: Austin’s American Grill (Prime Rib), Bisetti’s Ristorante (Fort Collins’ best Italian food), Coopersmith’s Pubside (Try their Punjabi Pale Ale in the cask condition), Jay’s Bistro (Exotic foods), Lucky Joe’s (barrels of peanuts), The Melting Pot (get your fill of Fondue), Old Chicago’s (over 110 beers on tap), Rio Grande (World Famous Margaritas), and the Trailhead Tavern (Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap).

Not only is this a fun event but it will also provide an opportunity for people to support the Food Bank for Larimer County.  People attending the Great Plates restaurants will be encouraged to “leave their change” after their meals and that money will go to the Food Bank.  For every dollar donated during Great Plates, the Food Bank will be able to provide enough food for 4 meals to feed a family in need!

I’ll look forward to seeing you downtown at the Great Plates.

What’s So Great About Fort Collins?

What is all the fuss about Fort Collins?  Over the past several years, Fort Collins has been recognized as the Best Place to Live (and a 2nd place finish), One of the Best Places to Raise Your Kids, Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community, 3rd place for Best Place for Business & Career, 9th place for Best Place to Invest in Real Estate and one of the Top 10 College Towns for Grown-ups.  Those are all great awards to achieve but what really makes it a great place?

Could it be that Fort Collins receives over 300 days of sunshine each year?  Maybe it’s the 44 parks with more than 800 acres or the 3 city-owned golf courses.  For the hiking and biking enthusiasts there are 280 miles of bike lanes, 25 miles of off-road trails and 25 miles of paved multi-use trails that are maintained year round.  Let’s not forget about all the rock climbing routes around Horsetooth Reservoir and inside Lory State Park.

Those are all great activities but this is Colorado so how about the winter activities? There is great snowshoeing within one hour at Cameron Pass and Estes Park with many miles of terrain to explore.  Do you enjoy skiing or snowboarding at World Class Resorts?  Within a 2 ½ hour drive, you can enjoy the best skiing in the country at Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, Winter Park, A-Basin, and Keystone.  If you would like to mingle with the rich and famous, Aspen is an exhilarating 4 hour commute over mountain passes and offers four ski mountains easily accessible on their local bus routes.

As a 13-year resident of Fort Collins, I’ve heard many reasons why people chose Colorado, and specifically Fort Collins.  The most common reply is that they came for the winters, but it was the summers that kept them here.  So, not only does Fort Collins offer an overabundance of outdoor activities, but it also has some well known local events.

Here is a sample of some of the more popular annual events for 2009.

• March 14: Saint Patrick’s Day Parade
• May 2 & 3: Cinco de Mayo Celebration
• June 27 & 28: The 20th Annual Colorado Brewer’s Festival
• July 4: Fourth of July Celebration Downtown
• July 9, 16, 23, 30: Thursday Night Music & More
• August 6 & 13: Thursday Night Music & More
• August 15 & 16: New West Fest
• September 26: Oktoberfest Celebration
• October TBD: Community Homecoming Parade
• October 30: Tiny Tot Halloween
• November 6: Lighting of Downtown Ceremony
• November 21-December 24: Santa’s Workshop
• December 31: First Night Fort Collins

While many publications tout Fort Collins as the number one this or the top ten that, we just call it home.

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