SPONSORED BY
Good morning, Highlands Ranch.
Summer isn't over yet, and the Ranch is giving it a great sendoff.
Saturday night, Stories in the Sky will light up Civic Green Park with a drone show celebrating Colorado's 150th birthday, following the Summer Sunset Concert.
And fall is already creeping onto the calendar. Oktoberfests, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and festivals are just weeks away, and we've rounded them up in our South Denver Fall Festival Guide for you to start planning ahead.
In this week's Scoop:
🎆 Stories in the Sky
🍂 Fall festivities are coming
🌳 Chatfield Farms free day
Let’s get into it.
—Grace Hody
SPONSORED BY HIGHLANDS RANCH WATER
2026 marks Highlands Ranch Water’s 45th anniversary!
Over the years, the district has evolved right alongside Highlands Ranch—from serving a rapidly growing community to supporting the thriving community we know today.
Through it all, one thing has remained constant: planning ahead to ensure sustainable water for this generation and for those to come.
Want to dive a little deeper? Explore the history of Highlands Ranch Water, follow along on social media, or drop into a board meeting.
There’s always more happening beneath the surface! Get connected, soak up something new and learn more about the water provider working every day to keep our community flowing.
Weekend Outing Ideas
✨ Featured Event: Stories in the Sky ✨
Summer Sunset Concert + Drone Show — Highlands Ranch
🗓️ Saturday, August 22 (7–8:30 p.m.)
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The Highlands Ranch Metro District and HRCA are teaming up for a summer sendoff at Civic Green Park with ’90s and 2000s hits from Ninety2K, followed by Stories in the Sky, a special drone show celebrating Colorado’s 150th birthday.
Vino in the Village — Castle Pines
🗓️ Friday, August 21 (5:30–8 p.m.)
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Sip your way through 70+ wines and spirits paired with bites from local restaurants at this annual Castle Pines tasting event. There’s also live music, whiskey tastings and a wine pull. 21+; tickets required.
Max Taps 9th Anniversary Weekend — Highlands Ranch
🗓️ Friday–Saturday, August 21–22
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Local taproom Max Taps is celebrating nine years in Highlands Ranch with an anniversary weekend, food trucks and plenty on tap. Live music both days from local favorites.
Prairie Bounty Farm Fair at the Lavender Farm — Parker
🗓️ Saturday, August 22 (9 a.m.–2 p.m.)
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Meet alpacas, mini horses, piglets, goats and more at Pollywog Station Lavender Farm while learning about beekeeping, lavender, garlic growing and life on the prairie. Free; registration required.
Cinematic Symphony: Star Wars — Centennial
🗓️ Saturday, August 22 (5:30–7:30 p.m.)
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Symphony of the Rockies brings the music of Star Wars to Centennial Center Park with a full outdoor symphony featuring iconic themes, heroic fanfares and plenty of galactic nostalgia. Free + family-friendly.
Fiesta Parker — Parker
🗓️ Saturday, August 22 (2–7 p.m.)
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Celebrate Latino culture with three live bands, dancers, Lucha Libre wrestling, 10+ specialty food vendors and trucks, marketplace shopping and kids activities. Adult ticket purchases also include entry into a drawing for a trip for two to Jalisco, Mexico.
Recurring in the Ranch
Free Yoga in the Park — Saturday, August 22
Backcountry Outdoor Movies (How To Train Your Dragon) — Saturday, August 22
Highlands Ranch Farmers Market — Sunday, August 23
Live Music Lowdown (August 20 - 27)
Thursday, August 20
Castle Rock (Tunes for Trails) — Santa Rios
Friday, August 21
Highlands Ranch (Lansdowne Arms) — Rick Reichstein
Highlands Ranch (Prost) — Tony Luke Band
Lone Tree Grill (Music on the Patio) — 90’s till Dawn
Littleton (Music in the Burbs) — Hot Lunch
Saturday, Aug 22
Highlands Ranch (Prost) — Radio Revolution Colorado
Wednesday, Aug 26
Castle Rock — Jazz in the Park
SCOOP Hub
Park of the Week
The 26 Park Challenge Giveaway is presented by Abby Sells Denver with the Ranch Scoop.
🌳 Redstone Park (23/26)
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Redstone is one of the Ranch’s bigger community parks — with a playground, fishing pond and pier, skate park, batting cages, tennis courts, sports fields, sand play area and plenty of picnic space.
Redstone Park, Highlands Ranch
Early Next Week
Free Day at Denver Museum of Nature & Science — Denver
🗓️ Monday, August 24 (9 a.m.–5 p.m.)
➜ View details
Kick off the week with free general admission to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, including the Wildlife Halls and permanent exhibitions. No tickets needed—just walk in.
Free Day at Chatfield Farms — Littleton
🗓️ Tuesday, August 25
➜ View details
Spend the day exploring Denver Botanic Gardens’ 700-acre Chatfield Farms with free admission. Advance tickets are required and can sell out. (York Street’s free day is already sold out.)
📬 Before You Go
Summer may still have a few weeks left, but fall will be here before we know it. I wonder if winter plans to come again or skip altogether like last year.
For now, we’ve got a few more warm summer nights to enjoy, and days to take advantage of our parks, including Park No. 23.
Thanks for exploring the Ranch with The Scoop each week.
See you next Thursday.
—Grace
💧Grateful for our Founding Community Partner, Highlands Ranch Water.
Ranch Resources
🔥 Restrictions
💧 Restrictions
🌳🏛️ Highlands Ranch Metro District
🚗 Douglas County: Link On Demand
Scoop Referrals — Birthday Shoutouts
Help us grow and get a birthday shoutout!
Refer 3 nearby friends or family using your personal referral link (found below), and we’ll celebrate your birthday in that week’s Scoop newsletter.
Once you hit 3 referrals, we’ll send over a quick form to collect your birthday. (Don’t worry — no birth year required.)