More than five years after the 2020 shutdowns, garden centers and nurseries are navigating what the from Garden Center magazine calls a “post-COVID hangover.”

Released in January, the data from the annual survey of owners, operators and managers found that Spring 2025 saw the second-smallest reported growth in spring sales over the past decade. For the first time, more independent garden centers reported no increase in working capital than those that did.

Although most responding independent garden centers remain profitable, their profitability rate still falls just below the average for the past 10 years.

“It all points to an industry in need of some solid motivation,” wrote Patrick Alan Coleman, editor of , Greenhouse Management and Produce Grower magazines, in the report.

Coleman said it����ap not the time to panic, but rather an opportunity for the industry to reassess operations and make improvements in marketing, staffing, inventory management and infrastructure.

Independent garden centers have also faced growing competition from big-box retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, which have .

In 2025, Home Depot was the top retailer for gardening supplies and plants, according to a , although its numbers dropped significantly from 2024.

Still, 30.3% of respondents said independent garden centers offer the highest quality plants, followed by Home Depot at 24.7%, Lowe’s at 12.8% and Walmart at 11.5%

Denver garden centers are adapting to those pressures while trying to preserve the personalized experience that sets them apart from national chains.

City Floral Garden Center is one example.

Serving the community since 1911, and one of the city’s oldest greenhouses, the center launched an online ordering platform last year through Shopify called .

“We are trying to stay relevant in this convenience-driven society,” said Candace Wickstrom, who, alongside her husband Matthew, has owned City Floral Garden Center since 2007.

“A large part of our customers just love the experience of coming in and picking out their own plants, but younger consumers today, it����ap more of a mix. Some people may want a better assortment than they can get at Home Depot, but maybe they don’t want to take an hour to come pick out their own plants. So, we are continuing to develop the offerings on that online platform.”

The pandemic plant boom

Wickstrom said the pandemic brought a surge in gardening as people spent more time at home during city-mandated lockdowns. Houseplants and rare plants saw a spike in popularity, in the United States, particularly due to and fueled by Gen Z and millennials.

Over time, she said, some interest has fallen off as people travel and return to other hobbies, though many of the new customers have stayed. She said consumers have increasingly leaned toward water-smart gardening and growing vegetables at home.

“The idea of producing your own ‘farmers market’ in your backyard really caught on during the pandemic and remains popular,” Wickstrom said.

“That����ap an interesting topic for City Floral, because we’ve been growing our own vegetables for, you know, more than 30 years in our own facility.”

As a grower-retailer, City Floral , including growing over 60 varieties of tomatoes and 70 varieties of peppers, Wickstrom said.

Data from Garden Center’s report found that 71% of respondents in their 2025 survey grow some of their own plant material, just below the all-time high of 72% in 2021.

Among respondents that grow more than half of their plants, 33% reported increasing volume, diversity, or both over the past two years. Customer demand is the main driver, followed by economic pressures, quality control and shipping costs.

In addition, annuals are the most commonly grown plants at independent garden centers at 62%. Perennials follow at 59%, while vegetables and herbs are grown by 53% of respondents, according to the Garden Center report.

Vegetables and herbs grew 6% from 2024 to 2025, and has seen a substantial increase in recent years as a result of rising grocery prices, driving customers to grow their own produce, Coleman wrote.

Indoors, foliage plants are grown by a quarter of centers, while 12% of respondents nurture flowering houseplants in their greenhouses.

Wickstrom said many consumers remain highly price‑driven, with some customers splitting their spending between box stores and locally owned retailers.

Wickstrom said the price gap between big-box stores and independent retailers has narrowed in recent years as labor, transportation, economic uncertainty and production costs have emerged across the industry.

“Bulb prices went up probably 15% this year with tariffs,” she said.

“Unfortunately, those costs do have to be passed on to the consumer. We do not, as an industry, make enough money that we can absorb those costs entirely.”

Seventy-five percent of garden centers who took the survey raised plant prices between 1% and 10% in 2025, roughly the same as the previous year, the report found. However, more respondents than previous years said they do not plan to raise prices in 2026, citing ongoing customer affordability concerns.

Real estate pressure is also reshaping Denver’s nursery industry. Wickstrom said that many long‑standing farm families have sold their land, reducing the number of local growers and tightening the plant supply chain.

Paulino Gardens, which operated just north of Denver in Adams County for over 60 years, closed in 2019. That closure was followed by Groundcovers Greenhouse & Garden Center at 4301 E. Iliff Ave.

The city of Denver has since , with plans to develop it into a park slated for completion in spring 2027.

Similarly, Welby Gardens, a Colorado-based growing operation founded in 1948, closed last year before the property was later purchased by Arvada-based Blooma Farms for $4.5 million.

Local and unique experiences

City Floral, at 1440 Kearney St., is the last sizable independent garden center in Denver proper that employs about 50 people year-round, Wickstrom said.

During peak season that number grows to roughly 110 employees, split among its Denver retail garden center, its landscaping division and a three‑acre growing facility in Golden.

As local centers close or relocate farther from the city, Wickstrom said she worries it will become difficult for residents to garden at all.

“Very few people are going to be willing to get in a car and drive 30 minutes plus to get to a garden center,” she said.

At the same time, some new owners are stepping into the industry.

Cade Scholl, alongside his wife Kara, became owners of in February 2025.

Scholl said they were inspired to buy the business at 7150 Leetsdale Dr. because they had always wanted to own their own company and were drawn to the welcoming nature of the gardening industry.

“For the most part, it is difficult for the small retailers like myself to match exactly what some of those big nationwide stores can do. There’s a few things that that we can match them on, but it’s difficult,” he said.

“What we provide, though, is a unique experience.”

Scholl said gardening can feel intimidating for beginners who may not know which plants work best for certain light conditions, soil types or watering schedules. But at independent retailers such as Country Fair, he said, customers can rely on experienced staff.

“If you come in, you’re going to see one of three or four people that is always in the store, and they’re going to be willing to help, and a lot of times they’ll even know your name,” he said.

“We even get times where people will come in and they will have bought a plant at one of those big box stores and they ask us for advice. We can usually get that plant back on track and nurse it back to health.”

Interest in growing food at home remains strong, Scholl said.

“This time of year, we’ve sold a lot of seeds, and I expect it will continue to sell seeds throughout the spring,” Scholl said.

Scholl said Country Fair works with small and local vendors to offer plants and products that customers might not find in big-box stores.

He also plans to rebuild classes and workshops at the garden center, which had faded under the previous owner, to strengthen the local gardening community through education.

Saturday-Sunday. It wouldn’t be spring without the return of Elitch Gardens, Denver’s biggest theme park and one that’s chock full of roller coasters, kids’ attractions and water slides (maybe too early for those). Following a season pass-holder preview last week, the theme park just west of downtown Denver reopens to the public for limited dates starting Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19.

The Saturday-Sunday dates continue through late May, when the 135-year-old park is open daily. Still, the 10 a.m.-6 pm. April and May windows are great chances to beat the summer crowds and take advantage of short lines at the most popular rides. Season passes run $80-$110 while single-day tickets are $48, with prices going up on May 21. The park is located at 2000 Elitch Circle in Denver. Call 303-595-4386 or visit for more.

Record Store Day at Wax Trax

Saturday. The vinyl rarities sold exclusively during the annual Record Store Day in April run from Taylor Swift to the Grateful Dead and local indie acts, but much of the appeal is the joyous atmosphere that surrounds the industry promotion. Audiophiles of all ages and backgrounds gather at local brick-and-mortar stores to celebrate physical media, often standing in line for hours to get first crack at one of hundreds of live albums, singles and reissues.

Among the many metro-area record stores that are celebrating on Saturday, April 18, Wax Trax Records is activating its trio of locations, including its newly opened Highland neighborhood outpost, with free breakfast for the line, local bands (including a preview of the forthcoming Blucifer’s First Rodeo festival), DJs, ticket and turntable giveaways, and a limited edition beer collaboration with Cerebral dubbed First Pressing. Doors open at 8 a.m. at the locations in Capitol Hill, South Broadway and Northside locations. Free admission. Call 303-831-7246 or visit for more details.

A masterful Colorado Ballet

Friday-Sunday. Colorado’s best ballet company will bring back its MasterWorks program this weekend with a triple threat of titles, this year including a world premiere. In addition to George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco (set to Bach) and Glen Tetley’s The Rite of Spring (on stage for the first time since 2013), there’s the intriguing S. Rachmaninoff, a world premiere by choreographer Yoshihisa Arai, commissioned by Colorado Ballet following his acclaimed take on Boléro. “The new ballet traces Sergei Rachmaninoff’s emotional journey from crisis to creative triumph, embodying the healing power of art,” organizers wrote online.

Performances include live music from the Colorado Ballet Symphony Orchestras. They started last week and continue at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. in Denver. Tickets are $40-$160 at .

Fort Collins Book Fest

Friday-Saturday. Readers, take note: The Fort Collins Book Fest is wrapping up its second and final weekend at Foothills Mall, from Friday, April 17, to Saturday, April 18. The event features multiple panels and workshops with poets, children’s authors, sci-fi novelists, illustrators, comics artists and more, plus a marketplace showcasing dozens of Colorado writers.

This weekend’s cohort includes Denver Post reporter Meg Wingerter, whose new book, “The Silence that Remains” (Mission Point Press), is “a historical fiction novel with the sweep of ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ set against the full weight of Stalin’s reign of terror,” organizers wrote (see more at ). The marketplace is open 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, although all authors may not be present the whole time. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at . 215 E Foothills Parkway in Fort Collins.

RTD’s E and W lines will see service interruptions at Denver’s Union Station from the beginning of service Saturday until Tuesday. Riders should anticipate delays, the transportation district said in a news release.

The E line is being rerouted to a downtown loop and is detouring from the 10th-Osage Station to the Colfax at Auraria Station, then continuing to the 16th and 18th Street stations at Stout and California streets.

E line riders can take a temporary bus shuttle from the 10th-Osage Station to Union Station or take the 16th Street FreeRide, RTD officials said.

Bus shuttles are replacing W line service between the Auraria West Station and Union Station and will include the 10th-Osage Station to accommodate transfers.

E line shuttle locations:

• 10th-Osage Station: bus bridge gate on Osage Street;
• Empower Field at Mile High, Auraria West stations: bus bridge sign at Fifth and Larimer streets;
• Ball Arena-Elitch Gardens Station: bus bridge sign at station, near the Chopper Circle roundabout;
• Union Station: Gate B22 in the underground bus concourse.

Normal service is set to resume Tuesday, RTD officials said.

“The cool factor is off the charts,” Ryan Ross, director of and president of a local investigations firm, said. “The gondola system is like a ride-hailing car system in the air. You get to ride-hail your own cabin. It can seat up to six. You’d enter into your phone where you want to go.”

A public presentation by , , and manufacturers on Tuesday evening will unveil more about the envisioned “automated elevated transit network” — broader than the single-gondola concept city officials considered a few years ago. The presentation is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the auditorium at 101 W. Colfax.

New Downtown’s designs show gondola cabins moving above streets in three loops with 14 stops — one linking Denver Union Station with Civic Center, and another circling Civic Center. An eight-mile loop would link Union Station with the Burnham Yard (near the Denver Broncos’ preferred site for a future new football stadium), the Auraria higher education campus, Elitch Gardens and Coors Field.

Ross’s other proposals for reviving downtown include a 500-foot-tall Ferris wheel off Little Raven Street and an amphitheater along the 16th Street Mall.

Five years ago, gondola transit surfaced in a plan linking Denver Union Station with the Highland neighborhood west of downtown — crossing Interstate 25, train tracks, and the South Platte River. Cities elsewhere have installed gondolas for transit “where obstacles such as waterways, highways, or topography would make other alternatives less feasible,” DOTI planner Riley LaMie said. In ., city officials installed an aerial tram connecting the South Waterfront District with a university campus across diverse terrain.

For Denver, “this was proposed as a transit solution because of the highway, river, railroad, and topography changes that are all in close proximity to each other,” LaMie said. But DOTI hasn’t studied the feasibility of a downtown-wide system, potential benefits, and how gondolas would compare with other transit, he said.

The gondola cabins would move separately in the same direction along a fixed guideway, Ross said. At stations, the cabins would detach, and pulleys would lower them for passengers to get on or off. Speeds would range from 25 to 35 miles per hour, slowing at turns. They’d stop at every station or carry riders to stations they’d designate using a Den-Vair smartphone app, he said. “Commute to work. Rent a cabin for a private party. Ride alone and meditate. Ride with a group and get married in the air. Your ride. Your design.”

Like a rocket. A rickety one. The kind they used to.

Now, full disclosure: The football wonks on the Grading The Week team are fans of Shedeur The QB. They think he’s been getting terrible advice and that he’s overplayed badly about six different hands since the start of the year. But they also think that there’s an NFL signal-caller there — somewhere.

They’re just not sure that somewhere is northern Ohio.

Shedeur and the Browns — C

Like Russell Wilson in New York, the Browns are ready to put their old horse, Joe Flacco, to pasture after a 1-3 start. Largely because their statuesque — in that he can’t really move — signal-caller threw for two scores against six picks.

Since Flacco is roughly 146 years old, this moment was a “when” and not an “if.” Here’s the part, though, that threw the internet, and Team Sanders’ media pals, for a loop: Rookie (and former Oregon star) Dillon Gabriel, who may or not may not be tall enough to ride , is now slated to start a Week 5 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.

Bonus: The Brownies’ depth chart for the week features Flacco as their backup and kept Shedeur listed at No. 3.

And this is where it gets very, well, Tebow-y. Not in terms of style (Sanders can throw; Tim couldn’t, bless his heart), but … audience.

Essentially, you have a fan base, one that’s loudest online, that feels that the son of CU football coach Deion Sanders can do no wrong — no matter what evidence, on-field or off-field, is actually put in front of them.

At the other end of the spectrum, you have the Browns coaching staff, the Browns front office, and most NFL front offices — a collective that does not give two flips what the Shedeur stans on social media think.

, he’s saying out loud what at least some old-money front offices and staffs probably think about Shedeur.

More disclosure: It probably doesn’t help Sanders win over the hearts and minds of the latter when he a) tells ESPN Cleveland, and then, b) silently mouths, or “mimes,” answers to reporters’ questions the next.

Nor does it help that Coach Prime , citing concerns over playing time.

Fast forward to October. With Lamar Jackson hurt, Cooper Rush is starting behind center for Baltimore this weekend. Perfect timing? Not quite.

FanDuel network coming to Denver — B

Denver will apparently soon become one of the centers of the regional sports network business — or what’s left of it.

The FanDuel Sports Network, the remains of what were once the Fox Sports/Bally Sports regional networks, is planning on operating a centralized broadcast hub in the metro, as reported by The Athletic/New York Times earlier this week.

Production from five NBA franchises will be out of the Front Range: The Hawks, the Thunder, the Grizzlies, the Timberwolves and the Spurs. Local NHL telecasts for the Wild, Hurricanes and Predators will also be produced from here.

By our math, that means at least 20% of the league’s local NBA broadcasts will soon either be produced in Denver or have Denver-based production help. And the Front Range will be the production home of 13% of the NHL’s local broadcast feeds. As the GTW crew features more than a few former cable TV subscribers in its ranks, this is one item they’ll be keeping a curious eye on.

Last week, the 58-acre Elitch Gardens in downtown Denver wooden roller coaster, which had previously been closed this year for maintenance, according to the company. The massive Twister III dates to 1964, when it was first built at Elitch’s original location in northwest Denver.

It has since undergone several upgrades and rebuilding phases — including a 2023 rebrand as Twister III (from Twister II, of course) after a year-long closure — and includes a 90-foot drop, 100-foot darkened tunnel, and “the sights, sounds and winds of a real tornado,” according to Elitch’s.

The park also reopened its 45-year-old Sidewinder coaster this season, following two years of closure. That means every coaster at Elitch’s is fully operational at the moment, which is good news for theme park fans who have been concerned about Elitch’s uncertain fate.

The property’s owner, Kroenke Sports Enterprises (which also owns Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche), plans to one day redevelop the area for apartments, condos, retail and office space. But there is no timetable for that, and Kroenke recently indicated that it is planning to invest in the theme park.

On the other hand, the smaller, equally historic Lakeside Amusement Park was unable to reopen its own star roller coaster, the Cyclone, this summer despite two years of efforts to recertify it after an accident and a 2022 lawsuit from a rider who alleged the coaster lacked sufficient safety measures. The affordable theme park still plans to host the on Thursday, Aug. 21, though it said on its website that other rides had also been offline this season due to .

Brenda Fishman, the park’s operations manager who runs Lakeside with her mother, Rhoda Krasner, said the Cyclone — the oldest wooden roller coaster west of the Mississippi River — is still set to reopen, she just doesn’t have a specific opening date.

“Elitch’s is an incredible business,” said Mike Neary, executive vice president of Kroenke Sports Entertainment (KSE), in an email to The Denver Post this week. “We have every incentive to not only keep Elitch’s going, but to invest in rides and attractions and overall experience.”

In fact, the park reopened two of its signature roller coasters this summer after both had been closed. Twister III: Storm Chaser is now running for the first time in 2025 after repairs, while the Sidewinder, closed for maintenance since 2023, reopened two months ago.

KSE, which owns Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, Altitude Sports & Entertainment, as well as other teams, stadiums and real estate, bought out Revesco Properties’ share of a property known as the River Mile in June. River Mile is planned as a 62-acre mixed-use redevelopment that includes the land under Elitch Gardens.

Revesco and KSE first bought the property together in 2015 and announced plans to scrape and redevelop it in favor of a massive residential and retail complex that would abut Ball Arena and its parking lots. At the time, the discussions involved moving Elitch Gardens out of downtown.

The original plan — which would make room for 15,000 residents, along with offices and hotels, stores and restaurants inside several 40- to 60-story towers — was approved by the city in 2018.

Nothing has gone forward, however, and although Elitch Gardens is still on shaky grounds, Kroenke’s buyout of Revesco seemed to suggest that the theme park may remain for a while.

Cindy Hann, an Elitch Gardens spokesperson, declined to comment on a potential move, but said this season’s attendance has been an “incredible” boon for the park (though she also declined to provide those attendance numbers).

“Currently, we are focused entirely on creating thrilling experiences right here in the heart of Denver, including preparing for our signature Halloween and holiday season events,” Hann said. “We were very pleased with our 2024 season and are on track for another strong year in 2025.”

Elitch Gardens, which is 135 years old, moved from its original space in northwest Denver to its current home in 1995. There, it transformed into a contemporary, thrill-ride theme park.

Note: Colorado laws prohibit all personal fireworks that explode or leave the ground. Some examples, according to the , include bottle rockets, firecrackers, Roman candles, cherry bombs and M-80s. Those who use illegal fireworks are subject to fines of more than $1,000 and possible jail time.

Typically, if fire restrictions are in place or a Red Flag Day is in effect, no fireworks of any kind are allowed. Updated, county-by-county restrictions can be viewed at

All of the following events are free, all ages, open to the public and weather-permitting, unless otherwise noted. As a rule of thumb, be sure to leave your pets, booze, drones and weapons at home, and don’t forget to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Most fireworks displays start between 9 and 9:30 p.m.

Arvada

Independence Day fireworks return to the Stenger Soccer Complex (entry at West 58th Avenue and Oak Street) on Friday, July 4, with food trucks but also propane grills allowed on site. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and West 58th will shut down to traffic beginning at 8 p.m. Accessible parking is available in Stenger’s northeast lot.

Aurora

The Aurora Municipal Center hosts the city’s 4th of July Spectacular; the fireworks take place around 9:30 p.m. on July 4. Food trucks and three hours of live music are planned. The fireworks display lasts 30 minutes at 15151 E. Alameda Parkway. Free on-site parking.

Berthoud

Berthoud’s Third of July festival will take place from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, at the Berthoud Recreation Center. Live music, beer garden, food trucks, lawn games and more, with fireworks at 9 p.m. Waggener Farm Park, 1000 Berthoud Parkway.

Brighton

The city of Brighton’s 4th of July celebration takes over Carmichael Park, 650 E. Southern St., starting at 5 p.m. on July 4. The evening will feature live entertainment from Ninety2K, as well as food, free face painting for kids and more. The fireworks display will follow at the end of the live performances.

Adams County’s big Stars & Stripes event is on Thursday, July 3, from 4 to 10 p.m. at Riverdale Regional Park, 9755 Henderson Road in Brighton. Food and beer vendors will begin serving at 4 p.m., with live entertainment from Tayler Holder at 6 p.m. Parking is free. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Broomfield

Broomfield’s Great American Picnic starts at 5 p.m. on July 4 in Broomfield County Commons Park, 13200 Sheridan Blvd., and includes food, a beer garden, children’s games and entertainment, and the 18th annual all-ages bike parade (at 5:30 p.m.; kids are required to wear a helmet). Live music starting at 6 p.m. will lead into 9:15 p.m. fireworks. Limited parking on-site and additional parking available at Legacy High School, with shuttles available from 5 to 11 p.m. Note: this year includes a layout change wherein the east side of the park will be fenced to further protect formal entry and exit points.

Commerce City

The Colorado Rapids’ popular 4thFest Celebration at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park returns with what organizers bill as the state’s largest display. The free event on July 4 opens before that day’s game against Sporting Kansas City with an array of family-friendly activities and entertainment. The soccer game at 7:30 p.m. costs money, but fireworks can be seen all around the stadium at 6000 Victory Way, with lots opening at 7 p.m.

Denver

Downtown residents and visitors will, for the second year in a row, see drones rather than fireworks at Civic Center’s���ڰ���� Indy Eve (formerly Independence Eve). The Thursday, July 3, event includes the Night Market, a performance from Circus Foundry, a family fun zone, and live music from the Colorado Symphony Brass & Percussion Ensemble. The drone show starts around 9:15. Gates open at 5 p.m. and entertainment starts at 5:30 p.m., with food trucks on-site. 101 E. 14th Ave.

Coors Field will launch fireworks on Friday, July 4, and Saturday, July 5, following the nighttime Colorado Rockies games against the Chicago White Sox. The best views are inside the stadium, but you can also see them if you hang out around Lower Downtown or adjacent urban neighborhoods. 2001 Blake St.

Paid visitors to Elitch Gardens theme park and nearby viewers will also get an up-front seat on Saturday, July 5, as fireworks begin just before the park’s daily closing. 2000 Elitch Circle.

Englewood

Englewood’s family-friendly July 4 event, starting at 5 p.m., spans Belleview (5001 S. Inca Dr.) and Cornerstone parks (5150 S. Windemere St.) in conjunction with the cities of Littleton and Sheridan, Arapahoe County and South Suburban Parks & Recreation. It will feature kids’ activities and food trucks along with dusk fireworks. 

Erie

This year’s fireworks display takes place at Erie Community Park (450 Powers St.) on Thursday, July 3, with the fireworks launched from the rooftop of the Erie Community Center at 9 p.m. Food trucks and vendors will be on site. Limited parking starts at 6 p.m.

Firestone

The 23rd Fourth at Firestone arrives on July 4 with a 10 a.m. parade and family-friendly activities at Miners Park — including booth vendors and food trucks — starting at 11 a.m. Starting at 4 p.m., Miners adds live music, a beer garden, and more food trucks, followed by the 9:30 p.m. fireworks display.

Glendale

This early Independence Day celebration takes place on Wednesday, July 2, at Infinity Park, 4599 E. Tennessee Ave. Viewers can sit inside the stadium, in the stands, on the field, or on the turf to the south of the stadium to view fireworks around 9:40 p.m. Before that, they’ll screen the 1998 movie “Armageddon” (7 p.m.).

Highlands Ranch

The fireworks begin at 9 p.m. and run for a half-hour at Highland Heritage Regional Park, 9651 S. Quebec St. in Highlands Ranch. Food trucks will be on site. Organizers recommend walking, biking or ride-sharing, as there will be little to no on-site parking.

Lafayette

Lafayette’s rather early celebration on Saturday, June 28, will feature 4 to 10 p.m. festivities at Waneka Lake Park, 1600 Caria Drive, including food, adult drinks, kids’ activities like face painting and bounce houses, live music, and the fireworks at dusk.

Littleton

The Red, White & You show returns to Clement Park on Thursday, July 3, with a 5-10 p.m. celebration that includes a kids’ zone, live music, food, beer and wine, and the 9:30 fireworks display south of the amphitheater. The rain-or-shine event will take place at 7306 W. Bowles Ave.

Lone Tree

Lone Tree Elementary and Prairie Sky Park will host a full slate of activities on July 4, starting with the 9 a.m. Family Fun Ride and Stroll, followed by the opening of the Family Fun Park through 1 p.m. (free, but ). At 6 p.m., Party in the Park at Prairie Sky kicks off with live music, followed by 9:30 p.m. fireworks. 9381 Crossington Way.

Longmont

Longmont’s fireworks and drone displays can be viewed best at the downtown Street Party, which runs 5-10 p.m. on July 4, along 2nd Avenue between Kimbark and Collyer streets, and Emery Street between 1st and 3rd avenues. The free, 9:15 p.m. drone show and 9:30 p.m. fireworks show can also be viewed from the green space area north of the Longmont Museum, and the City of Longmont Recreation Center, south of Left Hand Creek. Kids’ activities, food and drink will be on site.

Louisville

Coal Creek Golf Course at 585 W. Dillon Road opens at 6 p.m. on July 4 with food trucks, adult beverages, bounce houses, face painting, and patriotic music. Fireworks start around 9:30 p.m., and free shuttles are available starting at 5:30 p.m. at Louisville Recreation Center, 900 Via Appia Way, as well as Coal Creek Ace Hardware, 1343 E. South Boulder Road.

Northglenn

Northglenn’s jam-packed July 4th Festival is back with the classic cars, duck derbies, live music, military recognition and picnics and kids’ activities. Food vendors and a beer garden, too. Noon to 9:30 p.m. July 4 at E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park, 11800 Community Center Dr. Fireworks will launch at 9:15 p.m.

Parker

Parker’s fireworks show at Salisbury Park returns July 4 at 9:30 p.m. with a display that can be seen “throughout the community,” even if it’s remote-only (i.e. without up-front seating). Officials have lots of ideas where to set up at , but caution that parking along roadsides is not permitted.

Thornton

The party starts at noon at Carpenter Park Fields (11000 Colorado Blvd.) with food and drinks, live music, a presentation of colors and more. Paved and unpaved parking is available in the lots south of the Carpenter Park Fields and west of 108th Avenue. And don’t miss the annual tradition of the nighttime parachutists, who will herald the dusk “Red, White & Boom!” fireworks show.

Westminster

The city’s 4th of July Celebration begins at 4 p.m. at Westminster City Park(10455 N. Sheridan Blvd.) with fun for the whole family, including live music, and fireworks at 9:15 p.m. There’s a free shuttle from various locations; see for schedule and routes.

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The sale, which was completed on Wednesday, June 11, includes Theme and Water Park, related assets and 1338 1st St., which is home to Meow Wolf and other properties.

“Realizing sole ownership of these properties will allow us to streamline our comprehensive vision for the future development encompassing The River Mile and the adjacent Ball Arena campus,” said KSE Owner and Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke.

“We are grateful to Revesco for many years of productive collaboration.”

The two parties have been partners since their joint purchase of Elitch Gardens in 2015.

Replacing or moving the 58-acre theme and water park situated along the South Platte River has been considered. However, Elitch Gardens and Meow Wolf, the immersive art experience at the juncture of Interstate 25 and Colfax Avenue, will continue to operate at their current sites.

“A day at Elitch’s is a rite of summer for more than a million visitors annually,” said Mike Neary, KSE executive vice president.

“We intend to keep it that way and better than ever.”

The River Mile project was approved in 2018 to build roughly 8,000 residential units and some of the city’s tallest buildings along the South Platte River and by Ball Arena, also owned by KSE.

The development will feature a and recreational spaces, including office, retail, hotels and residential areas across three separate neighborhoods known as The Banks, The Bend and Headwater, according to the project����ap website.

“We are incredibly proud of our work with KSE as the stewards of Elitch Gardens over the past decade, and to have been a catalyst for a re-imagining of the site known as The River Mile,” said Rhys Duggan, president and CEO of Revesco Properties.

“We believe the blueprint has been set for the future of Central Denver and that both the Park and The River Mile vision are in good hands with Mr. Kroenke and his family.”

The price of the sale has not been disclosed at this time.

KSE owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rapids.

will be in place for a swath of Denver and Lakewood starting early Sunday, and people should plan to stay north of 29th Avenue, east of Colorado Boulevard, south of 14th Avenue and west of Kipling Street from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., race organizers said.

Interstate 25 will remain open, and other roads will reopen once runners have passed those areas.

Regional Transportation District bus and light rail routes also will have delays and closures Sunday, including D-, H- and L-Lines and more than two dozen bus routes.

Racers can show their bibs in exchange for a ride on the W-Line and 15, 15L and 16 bus routes between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday.

• D- and H-Line will not serve Colfax at Auraria Station through the Downtown Loop stations on Stout and California streets.
• D- and H-Line will continue to serve 10th-Osage Station, and will reroute to serve Auraria West Station, Empower Field at Mile High Station, Ball Arena-Elitch Gardens Station and Union Station.
• L-Line will not be in service, and customers can use bus Route 43 instead.
• D-, E-, H- and W-Line delays are expected during the event because of increased rail traffic at Union Station.
• Temporary detours are expected for the 0, 1, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 15L, 16, 19, 20, 24, 28, 30, 38, 40, 43, 44, 48, 51, 52, 76, 83L, ART and MALL bus lines.
• Saturday only: bus routes 20 and 24 will have a minor detour around the event, 9 a.m. to noon during the Colfax 5K race.