STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903
75cI
VOLUME 118
Issue 16
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021
Post-COVID fun; cities plan for summer festivals Big events are being separated in small venues spread out through the cities BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When the pandemic hit in 2020 cities across Colorado had to cancel big events and festivals that not only impacted the cities economically but also affected communities socially. This year the big events are coming back, with a bang. The city of Fort Lupton cancelled both Independence Day celebrations and its traditional late summer Trapper’s Day event due to the pandemic last year. “Both signature events are planned to be bigger and better than ever with live music, car shows, rides, food trucks, and more. We feel that we’re not only planning something fun for the community, but we see these activities as a way to build pride and show off our resiliency after such a hard year,” said Christy Romano, Fort Lupton Events Coordinator. The Trapper Days celebration is September 10 this year. Trappers Days in Fort Lupton’s is the largest event celebrating the culture of Fort Lupton’s pioneers of the past, present, and future. The festival starts with a parade downtown main street with live music, a beer garden, car shows, and vendors. The celebration continues at the historic park with the
Brighton Summerfest event in 2019 and canceled in 2020. It’s scheduled in June 2021. COURTESY OF CITY OF BRIGHTON
community dressed in the 1800s with cultural re-enactments and vendors. Hot air and chain saws
The Frederick in Flight Hot Air Balloon Festival was the town’s most significant event that was canceled in 2020. It usually features the colorful hot air balloons in the air visible from
miles away. “It was canceled due to COVID-19,” said Jessica Hill, Communications and Engagement Specialist. During the pandemic, Frederick had its annual outdoor Chainsaws and Chuckwagon event in July but made it a small socially distanced event, as was the annual Taste of
Frederick festival. The Chainsaw artists were protected six feet away from the public and spread out. For the Taste of Frederick in June, residents stayed in the car and picked up samples of food from a variety of vendors. SEE SUMMER, P4
Thornton annexes 357-acres for new development
Thornton City Council approves annexation and zoning for Clear Creek development BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Thornton just grew by 357 acres, per a 7-1 vote by Thornton City Council at an April 13 meeting. After a public hearing, the council approved the annexation in northwest Thornton and two other measures to move the Clear Creek mixed-use development ahead. Though the project will require many other approvals before it materializes, the plan is to build industrial warehouses, residential
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units and retail space. “It’s a beautiful project, it’s going to help our city moving forward,” said Councilman Sam Nizam. “We need those kinds of builds. Also, it’s going to have retail, which is close to my heart. It’s important for our city to generate income.” Located north of 144th Avenue and in between Washington Street and York Street, the property’s northern portion will have 75-foot-high ware-
REGION • Classes offer tips on different clouds, what kind of weather to expect
• Page 3
SPORTS • Shortened baseball season has coaches talking • Page 8
houses. The bottom portion will include single-family detached homes, single-family attached homes and multi-family units. There will be three distinct commercial areas and 55 acres of parks and open space, including a central park with a sports field and tennis court. In the future, the council will need to approve each distinct zoning desSEE ANNEXED, P3
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