Good morning, Highlands Ranch.
The moon is putting on a show tonight.
A partial lunar eclipse starts shortly after moonrise this evening at about 8:33 PM. Then, 93% of the Moon will slip into Earth’s shadow, peaking around 10:12 PM.
On another note, we’re down to two parks left to guess. Then, one of you is getting a $1,000 vacation to the Broadmoor in the 26 Park Challenge Giveaway, presented by Abby Barratt.
In this week's Scoop:
🏔️ Ranch Brief: A $22M+ road project brewing southwest of the Ranch
🌘 Tonight: A partial lunar eclipse + where to watch
🍷 Weekend plans: Wine walks, lavender, free comedy + more
Let’s get into it.
—Grace Hody
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Weekend Outing Ideas
Lunar Eclipse Viewing Party — Littleton
🗓️ Thursday, Aug. 27 (7:30–10:30 p.m.)
➜ Event details
Watch the lunar eclipse along the South Platte River with telescopes and trained guides. Refreshments provided; registration required.
Broadway in the Park — Highlands Ranch
🗓️ Friday, August 28 (6–7:30 p.m.)
➜ View details
Broadway comes to Highland Heritage Park with local PAA students performing popular musical theatre songs and dances. The free evening also includes face painting, sing-alongs, Kona Ice and family activities. First 100 families get a special giveaway.
Wine Walks — Littleton + Parker
🗓️ Friday, Aug. 28 | Starting at 4:30 PM
Sip your way through two South Denver downtowns with wine tastings at participating local businesses. Grab a glass, stroll the shops and make a summer evening of it.
➜ Littleton details
➜ Parker details
Free Day at Four Mile Historic Park — Denver
🗓️ Friday, Aug. 28 (10 a.m.–4 p.m.)
➜ View details
Travel back to 1859 with free admission to Four Mile Historic Park. Explore Denver’s oldest standing structure, visit the farm animals, stroll the grounds and gardens, try gold panning and explore Colorado history.
Lavender Harvest Festival — Littleton
🗓️ Saturday, August 29 (9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.)
➜ View details
Wander the gardens during lavender harvest, make lavender bath salts and enter a free raffle at Seven Stones Chatfield. Free + open to the public.
Free Comedy Show — Highlands Ranch
🗓️ Saturday, August 29 (7:30–9:30 p.m.)
➜ View details
Catch a free night of comedy at Max Taps with local brews on tap.
An Afternoon with Jacqueline St. Joan — Highlands Ranch
🗓️ Sunday, August 30 (5–6:30 p.m.)
➜ View details
Retired judge and Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee Jacqueline St. Joan discusses her new memoir and stories from the bench. Adults; registration required.
Recurring in the Ranch
Free Yoga in the Park — Saturday, August 29
Backcountry Outdoor Movies (Pirate of the Caribbean) — Saturday, August 29
Highlands Ranch Farmers Market — Sunday, August 30
Live Music Lowdown (August 27 - Sept 2)
Friday, August 28
Highlands Ranch (Lansdowne Arms) — Daniel Pouse
Highlands Ranch (Prost) — Lindley
Lone Tree Grill (Music on the Patio) — Josh Blackburn
Littleton (Music in the Burbs) — That 80’s Band
Saturday, Aug 29
Highlands Ranch (Prost) — Vinyl Nation
SCOOP Hub
Park of the Week
The 26 Park Challenge Giveaway is presented by Abby Sells Denver with the Ranch Scoop.
🌳 Welte Park (24/26)
➜ View details
Welte Park is one of the Ranch’s more tucked-away neighborhood parks — nestled into the trail system with lots of green space and a newly updated playground.
26 Park Challenge: Visit all 26 parks with us over 26 weeks—join anytime and visit them in any order.
Colorado Getaway Giveaway: Guess the park correctly on Instagram, Facebook, or by email for a chance to win a Colorado getaway. Meet Abby, the sponsor, and read her story on The Ranch Scoop.
📜 A little Ranch history: Welte Park gets its name from John B. Welte, an Austrian immigrant who, with Plaziduo Gassner, purchased the land that became the Big Dry Creek Cheese Ranch in 1879 for $700. The ranch later became known not just for cheese and farming, but as a local gathering place for residents and visitors from Denver.
Ranch Brief
A major road project is beginning to take shape southwest of the Ranch. Douglas County is designing improvements to US 85 between Highlands Ranch Parkway and Titan Road, including a potential expansion from four to six lanes.
The project is still early, but $22 million in County transportation funding is currently programmed toward it. We took a look at what’s driving the project, how Highlands Ranch road taxes work, and the big question still being answered: who’s footing this bill?
📬 Before You Go
If the clouds don’t cooperate, you can still catch the eclipse via livestream.
One little housekeeping note before we go: we’ve been quietly working on a better way to keep track of what’s happening around the Ranch, especially the things worth knowing about before Thursday rolls around.
More on that soon.
Until then, enjoy the weekend, look up tonight, and keep an eye out for Park #25.
And if you know someone in or around the Ranch who’d like the Scoop, send it their way.
That’s the Scoop for this week.
—Grace
Ranch Resources
🔥 Restrictions
💧 Restrictions
🌳🏛️ Highlands Ranch Metro District
🚗 Douglas County: Link On Demand
Scoop Referrals — Birthday Shoutouts
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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.
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