 Are you Ready? Santa Claus is coming to town. You can track him coming into your city! NORAD Deploys their NORAD Santa Tracker! NORAD will be tracking Santa (like they do every year) so get on board and watch when and where Santa Claus arrives in various parts of the world. Go to the NORAD Santa Tracker web page and watch Santa in real time: http://www.noradsanta.org  Background info… The NORAD Tracks Santa program began as an annual event on December 24, 1955. According to legend, a Sears department store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs, Colorado, newspaper which told children that they could place a call to Santa Claus. It included the number ME 2-6681. A call allegedly came through to Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center as one digit was misprinted. In some versions of the story, the calls were coming in to the “red telephone” hotline that connected CONAD directly to command authorities at the Strategic Air Command. Colonel Harry Shoup, who was a Crew Commander on duty, answered the first call and supposedly told his staff to give all children who called in later a “current location” for Santa Claus. NORAD Santa Tracker, it’s Fun! Merry Christmas!
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This is such a good depiction of the Expectations vs. Realities of Winter and what really happens in life. Don’t we all have great expectations of how things should be? And, then reality sets in but, hopefully, we can laugh and move on! Can you identify with any of these?  The Expectations vs. Realities of Winter
Interesting Facts About the Sand Dunes in Colorado:
1) Members of the Ladies P.E.O. sponsored a bill to Congress asking for national monument status for the Great Sand Dunes. The bill was signed into law in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover. 2) In 2000-2004 the Sand Dunes in Colorado was expanded into a national park and preserve. 3) About 300,000 people visit the Great Sand Dunes every year because of the oddly beautiful combination of desert dunes and high mountain peaks, the spring-time flow of Medano Creek, and dark, quiet nights in the Dunes wilderness. 4) Camping, hiking, and photography opportunities are plentiful in the area. “Visitors must walk across the wide and shallow Medano Creek to reach the dunes in spring and summer months. The creek typically has a peak flow from late May to early June in most years. From July through April, the creek is usually no more than a few inches deep, if there is any water at all. Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes with the warning that the sand surface temperature may reach 150 °F (66 °C) in summer. Sandboarding and sandsledding are popular activities, both done on specially designed equipment which can be rented just outside the park entrance or in Alamosa.” Source… The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado is a “Must See” Attraction!
The Fair continues to call Pueblo home, and in fact, has only cancelled once during its entire history. In 1917, during World War I, the Fairgrounds’ horse stables and open space offered an ideal training facility for the Army National Guard. Since then, the Colorado State Fair has developed into the largest summer event in the State which offers families a fun, educational summer vacation!
This is the 147th year (started officially in 1872!) for the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, Colorado which promises to be the best ever! The Fair runs from August 23 to September 2 with each day filled with events for everyone which is 11 days of activities for all ages to enjoy! Whether you are a “seasoned-fair goer” or are planning your first visit, you won’t be disappointed. What you will find at the Colorado State Fair:1) Concerts and entertainment – A great lineup to choose from; get your tickets now! 2) Shopping and eating – About 50 food vendors and 300 distinctive commercial vendors. 3) Rodeos – PRCA Ram Rodeo, Ranch Rodeo and Celebracion de los Charros 4) Agriculture – Showcased in a fun, educational and interactive manner. 5) Carnival and Rides on the Midway. 6) Great deals and discounts available. 7) Shuttle service – FREE 8) Parade – Colorado State Fair Parade is Saturday, August 23, at 10 am. A great way to get involved in this yearly event is to volunteer. Click the link we have provided to see how you can contribute to and enjoy the Colorado State Fair 2019 as a volunteer! For all the details: http://www.coloradostatefair.com/ More Things to Do in Colorado: Great Sand Dunes Have a Great Time at the Colorado State Fair 2019!
All images courtesy of posted website links or wikipedia.comTravel Related Post: Colorado Museums
Enjoy going back in time by visiting these Colorado ruins!
Opening the show will be a vintage WWII aircraft, B-17, with the “Wings Of Blue” parachute demonstration team jumping out of the aircrafts’ bomb bay. The National Anthem will play along opening the air show schedule.
Plan to attend the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show 2019, the dates are September 21st and 22nd. Maps and directions are located on the air show web page. CLICK HERE FOR THE AIR SHOW WEB PAGE! Tickets for sale NOW! CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS! Have you thought about volunteering? Check out the volunteer information on the web page. CLICK HERE FOR VOLUNTEER INFORMATION! Enjoy the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show 2019!
You have a choice of days as well as the type of music you prefer. The music genres are varied throughout the summer: jazz, blues, rock, R&B, Motown, oldies, bluegrass, reggae, Americana, Dixieland, pop, Latin, country and more!
All you need is a blanket or chair as well as some yummy snacks. The difficult part is deciding which concerts to attend! FIRST & MAIN SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 5-7 p.m. Fridays (June & July) First and Main Town Center, 3650 New Center Point, 955-6060, firstandmaintowncenter.com ——————————————————————————————————————- COLORADO SPRINGS PHILHARMONIC csphilharmonic.org ——————————————————————————————————————- PIKES PEAK JAZZ AND SWING SOCIETY’S ~ JAZZ IN THE PARKS 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays, ppjass.org —————————————————————————————————————- SODA SPRINGS PARK PAVILION – Manitou Springs Front Range Big Band, Wednesdays – June 26 and July 24 at 7:00 pm Little London Winds, Mondays @ 7 p.m. – June 17 through August 12 For additional concerts in Manitou Springs – Click Here —————————————————————————————————————-- FOREST LAKES SUMMER CONCERTS 6-9 p.m. second and fourth Fridays Waterfront Park, corner of Waterfront and Forest Lakes drives, Monument. Concert Series ——————————————————————————————————————- HILLSIDE GARDENS SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays Hillside Gardens, 1006 S. Institute, $7, includes ticket for one nonalcoholic beverage, beer or wine, 520-9463, hillsidegardensandevents.com ———————————————————————————————————————- BANNING LEWIS RANCH SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 6-8 p.m. second and fourth Thursdays Banning Lewis Ranch, 6885 Vista del Pico Blvd., 522-2432, banninglewisranch.com ———————————————————————————————————————– FLYING HORSE SUMMER CONCERTS 6-8 p.m. first and third Thursdays Angel Mist Park, 13509 Silverton Road, 389-0700, flyinghorsecolorado.com ———————————————————————————————————————– JAZZ IN THE GARDEN AT GRACE AND ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 7 p.m. Fridays 601 N. Tejon St., 328-1125, gssepiscopal.org ———————————————————————————————————————– MUSIC ON THE LABYRINTH 6:30 p.m. Saturdays First Christian Church, 16 E. Platte Ave., firstchristiancos.org ———————————————————————————————————————-- MANITOU SPRINGS LIBRARY LAWN CONCERT SERIES 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays Manitou Springs Public Library, 701 Manitou Ave., 685-5206, ppld.org/manitou-springs-library; in case of inclement weather, concerts will be canceled. ————————————————————————————————————————- WOODLAND MUSIC SERIES Indoors at Ute Pass Cultural Center or outdoors at the Woodland Pavilion, 210 E. Midland Ave., Woodland Park, 687-5284, woodlandmusicseries.org ————————————————————————————————————————- UNIVERSITY VILLAGE COLORADO FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 6-8 p.m. Fridays North plaza of University Village Colorado, 5230 N. Nevada Ave., uvcshopping.com ————————————————————————————————————————– PAINT THE TOWN BLUE SERIES 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursdays through July 19 Thorndale Park, 2310 W. Uintah St., pikespeakblues.org ————————————————————————————————————————- MONUMENT CONCERTS IN THE PARK 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays Limbach Park bandshell, Second and Front streets, Monument, 481-3282, trilakeschamber.com ————————————————————————————————————————- GOLD HILL MESA SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 4:00-7:00 p.m. Saturdays (Look for Saturday schedule at link below) Gold Hill Mesa, 142 S. Raven Mine Drive, 633-2202, goldhillmesa.com ————————————————————————————————————————- MUSICAL MONDAYS IN MONUMENT VALLEY PARK 7 p.m. Mondays Monument Valley Park, on lawn west of Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 170 W. Cache la Poudre St. Concert Schedule ————————————————————————————————————————-- SUMMER CONCERTS IN THE GLEN 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays ~ July & August The Glen at Broadmoor Community Church, 315 Lake Ave., broadmoorchurch.org —————————————————————————————————————————- COLORADO COLLEGE SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL – Month of June Concerts in Packard Hall, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St.; Cornerstone Arts Center, 825 N. Cascade Ave., 389-6552, coloradocollege.edu You don’t want to miss the Summer Concerts & Activities in Colorado Springs!  Head to a local Colorado Springs park this summer for some of the best summer concerts and free entertainment in the city. There are various parks throughout the city and the surrounding area that are hosting wonderful live music groups. You have a choice of days as well as the type of music you prefer. The music genres are varied throughout the summer: jazz, blues, rock, R&B, Motown, oldies, bluegrass, reggae, Americana, Dixieland, pop, Latin, country and more! All you need is a blanket or chair as well as some yummy snacks. The difficult part is deciding which concerts to attend! FIRST & MAIN SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 5-7 p.m. Fridays (June) First and Main Town Center, 3650 New Center Point, 955-6060, firstandmaintowncenter.com ——————————————————————————————————————- COLORADO SPRINGS PHILHARMONIC csphilharmonic.org ——————————————————————————————————————- PIKES PEAK JAZZ AND SWING SOCIETY’S ~ JAZZ IN THE PARKS 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays, ppjass.org —————————————————————————————————————-- FOREST LAKES SUMMER CONCERTS 6-9 p.m. second and fourth Fridays Waterfront Park, corner of Waterfront and Forest Lakes drives, Monument. Concert Series ——————————————————————————————————————- HILLSIDE GARDENS SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays Hillside Gardens, 1006 S. Institute, $7, includes ticket for one nonalcoholic beverage, beer or wine, 520-9463, hillsidegardensandevents.com ———————————————————————————————————————- BANNING LEWIS RANCH SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 6-8 p.m. second and fourth Thursdays Banning Lewis Ranch, 6885 Vista del Pico Blvd., 522-2432, banninglewisranch.com ———————————————————————————————————————– FLYING HORSE SUMMER CONCERTS 6-8 p.m. first and third Thursdays Angel Mist Park, 13509 Silverton Road, 389-0700, flyinghorsecolorado.com ———————————————————————————————————————– JAZZ IN THE GARDEN AT GRACE AND ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 7 p.m. Fridays 601 N. Tejon St., 328-1125, gssepiscopal.org ———————————————————————————————————————– MUSIC ON THE LABYRINTH 6:30 p.m. Saturdays First Christian Church, 16 E. Platte Ave., firstchristiancos.org ———————————————————————————————————————-- MANITOU SPRINGS LIBRARY LAWN CONCERT SERIES 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays Manitou Springs Public Library, 701 Manitou Ave., 685-5206, ppld.org/manitou-springs-library; in case of inclement weather, concerts will be canceled. ————————————————————————————————————————- WOODLAND MUSIC SERIES Indoors at Ute Pass Cultural Center or outdoors at the Woodland Pavilion, 210 E. Midland Ave., Woodland Park, 687-5284, woodlandmusicseries.org ————————————————————————————————————————- UNIVERSITY VILLAGE COLORADO FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 6-8 p.m. Fridays North plaza of University Village Colorado, 5230 N. Nevada Ave., uvcshopping.com ————————————————————————————————————————– PAINT THE TOWN BLUE SERIES 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursdays through July 19 Thorndale Park, 2310 W. Uintah St., pikespeakblues.org ————————————————————————————————————————- MONUMENT CONCERTS IN THE PARK 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays Limbach Park bandshell, Second and Front streets, Monument, 481-3282, trilakeschamber.com ————————————————————————————————————————- GOLD HILL MESA SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 4:00-7:00 p.m. Saturdays (Look for Saturday schedule at link below) Gold Hill Mesa, 142 S. Raven Mine Drive, 633-2202, goldhillmesa.com ————————————————————————————————————————- MUSICAL MONDAYS IN MONUMENT VALLEY PARK 7 p.m. Mondays Monument Valley Park, on lawn west of Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 170 W. Cache la Poudre St. Concert Schedule ————————————————————————————————————————-- SUMMER CONCERTS IN THE GLEN 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays ~ July & August The Glen at Broadmoor Community Church, 315 Lake Ave., broadmoorchurch.org —————————————————————————————————————————- COLORADO COLLEGE SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL – Month of June Concerts in Packard Hall, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St.; Cornerstone Arts Center, 825 N. Cascade Ave., 389-6552, coloradocollege.edu  Ever wondered what Cheyenne Mountain is all about? Where did it gets its name? What’s its history? What do you know about Cheyenne Mountain? What are those towers on top? Is NORAD still in Cheyenne Mountain? Just some of the answers to the questions above: Where did Cheyenne Mountain get its name? Named for the Cheyenne people. Native Americans found that Cheyenne Mtn was a good wood source for teepee poles. It was also visited by the Arapaho people. They sought spiritual inspiration from the mountain’s waterfalls. The Mountain was also used by the Ute Tribe to safely cross from the plains and benefit from its steep slopes and hidden valleys. Its history – what do you know about Cheyenne Mountain? Cheyenne Mountain is a triple-peaked mountain. The mountain serves as host for military, communications, recreational, and residential purposes. It was designed to withstand bombing and the fallout from a nuclear attack. The underground operations center for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was built in the 1960s during the Cold War to monitor the potential intrusion to North American airspace Soviet missile launches and military aircraft. Homesteading activity began in 1867. The mountain was the site of resorts and retreats beginning in the 1880s. Spencer Penrose, who built and widely promoted The Broadmoor in 1918, bought several properties on the mountain. Penrose built the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Highway, Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, a lodge on one of the mountain peaks, and a retreat at Emerald Valley. The site of the lodge recently became the wilderness Cloud Camp. Emerald Valley is now the site of The Broadmoor’s Ranch at Emerald Valley. Land on The Mountain once owned by The Broadmoor is now the site of numerous luxury homes. The two parks on and at the base of Cheyenne Mountain are Cheyenne Mountain State Park and North Cheyenne Cañon Park. What are those towers on top? You cannot miss the noticeable tower feature on the top of one of Cheyenne Mountain’s peaks. Those features are an antenna farm with transmitters for cellular phones, radio, television, and law enforcement transmitters. They are not related to the military installation in the mountain. They are obviously hidden from public view. During the 1950s, an antenna farm was built on the middle peak of the mountain when Bert Swisher deeded ten acres to Bud Edmonds and several backers and Swisher signed a non-compete agreement. Edmonds, John Browne, and Buck Ingersoll agreed to replace the trails to the area with a real road, which was opened in 1960 by the Cheyenne Propagation Company. Currently there are 700 cell phone, television, radio, and law enforcement transmitters on the antenna farm. The Cheyenne Mountain radio repeater site, 145.160, covers south central and southeast Colorado along the Interstate 25 corridor from Monument to the New Mexico border. Since 2002, it has been operated by Cheyenne Propagation Company. Is NORAD still in the Cheyenne Mountain? NORAD used to offer public tours, but due to security concerns they were suspended after 9-11. Most of the center’s operations moved to Peterson Air Force Base in 2006,. Then in April 2015, the Pentagon reported that some operations would be moving back. Find out more about Cheyenne Mountain: Cheyenne Mtn Jeep Tours – Click Here! Information on Cheyenne Mtn Road – Click Here! More information on Cheyenne Mtn (Parks) – Click Here! Petunias are a great Colorado summer flower. They are tolerant of heat so they require less water. However, we check ours every day to see if they need a drink. Wave petunias are especially nice because they create gorgeous cascades of color in hanging baskets and decorative pots. However, it’s important that these vigorous flowers get their space. Don’t over pack them…just a few plants go a long way in a container. You want to encourage them to trail over the sides which they will do if they aren’t “fighting” for root space and nutrition.  Planting Petunias
Care of Petunias
Container Plants When planting petunias in containers, be sure not to crowd your plants. Limit yourself to three per 12-inch pot. If they start to flag or grow leggy, cut them back and fertilize them. They should branch out with vigor. Cut flowers for bouquets frequently to encourage new growth and remove dead flower heads as soon as they appear.Every few days, give them a long, slow drink. Wetting the flowers and foliage can promote disease, so water either from below or close to the surface of the soil. In order to not waterlog the roots, make sure your container has very good drainage. Petunias are heavy feeders. Apply a slow release fertilizer at the time of planting. Follow up with a liquid fertilizer every week or two throughout the season. Source… Related Post Summer Activities: Summer Camping |
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