COS Town Tidings #25-287

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🤣 Today’s Chuckle

📰 Medicare Open Enrollment Alert 🩺

📰 Need a Gig for the Holidays? 🔔

📰 Change, Growth & Challenges - Council Chat 💬

💲 Your Money Matters 💸 Eric's no-nonsense financial tips

🖼 Trivia Time: COS’ Hidden Wild Side—Captured by This Woman

📆 Local Events + Concerts, Farmers Markets & Fall Fairs/Festivals

⛅ COS Weather - Crisp temps and AM fog then warming up with isolated sprinkles possible

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What’s a senior’s favorite exercise?

👉Jumping to conclusions about their Medicare coverage! 🤣

🩺 Medicare Open Enrollment Alert

Navigating health coverage can feel overwhelming—especially during open enrollment—but there might be some good news. UCHealth has expanded its in-network partnerships for 2026, giving more Coloradans access to care through Medicare Advantage and Connect for Health Colorado plans. Starting Jan 1, patients can visit UCHealth hospitals and providers under plans from Select Health, Aetna, Anthem, Humana, United Healthcare, and some Kaiser options (in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and metro Denver). Those shopping through Connect for Health Colorado will find UCHealth covered under Select Health Value and Anthem Pathway (except Essentials plans).

Please note, UCHealth will NOT be in-network for Cigna Medicare Advantage or Devoted Health plans in 2026. Open enrollment begins Oct 15 for Medicare and Nov. 1 for Connect for Health Colorado. Make sure your plan includes the care you count on.

🔔 Need a Gig for the Holidays?

If you're looking to earn a little extra this holiday season while spreading some good cheer, The Salvation Army is currently hiring seasonal bell ringers for its Red Kettle Campaign, running Nov 17–Dec 24. The positions pay $16/hr and offer flexible shifts—perfect for students, retirees, or anyone wanting to make a difference in their community.

Hiring events will take place this month at two Salvation Army locations in Colorado Springs and Fountain. Applicants must be 18+, bring a valid ID, and one other form of documentation such as a birth certificate, Social Security card, or passport.

The Salvation Army, 908 Yuma St. Colorado Springs:

• Tomorrow, Oct 15, 9:30am

• Oct 22, 9:30am.

• Oct 24, 5:00pm

The Salvation Army, 208 Cunningham, Fountain:

• Thurs, Oct 16, 9:30am

If you’ve been searching for a way to serve and support your budget this season, this might be an opportunity. Full Story

💸 Watch Eric's no-nonsense, 60 second financial tip (updated monthly)

💬 Change, Growth & Challenges - Council Chat

If you’re interested in the City Council’s perspective, here’s an in-depth interview we came across with Councilman David Leinweber. This conversation offers insight into his current focus areas — including mental health advocacy, trail and open space improvements, local business support, and community activation. Note: we’re simply here to pass along the information. We are not taking a political stance or endorsing any specific viewpoint — we’ll share more voices from the council as they become available.

Leinweber highlights positive momentum around youth suicide prevention and mental health initiatives, while also calling out gaps, like the lack of a dedicated mental health hospital for the region’s most vulnerable. He talks about launching "neighborhood gatherings" to build stronger community ties, and shares his long-term vision for a more accessible Pikes Peak — balancing conservation with recreation. As a local business owner and founder of the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, he ties tourism, outdoor recreation, and economic growth together in practical terms. Finally, he calls on all of us to "donate a day" to lift up the community — whether that’s helping on trails, checking in on neighbors, or getting suicide prevention training. Full Story

🖼 Trivia: COS’ Hidden Wild Side—Captured by This Woman

Did you know one of Colorado Springs’ first nationally recognized artists helped the world see our landscape as something worth preserving—before tourism even existed? Alice Stewart Hill moved to Colorado Springs in 1871. Fascinated by our wildflowers, she hiked into the mountains—often above the tree line—to study each plant in its natural habitat. Her delicate watercolor paintings were so accurate that botanists used them for reference.

Alice Stewart Hill was famous for painting wildflowers—but what made her botanical artwork especially unique for the era?

In 1894, she opened her own art studio and teaching school downtown, offering classes in watercolor, oil, and drawing—decades before the Broadmoor Art Academy. Her studio became one of the city's earliest cultural hubs, inspiring residents to see the beauty of Colorado Springs not just with their eyes, but with imagination and pride.

She even co-published “The Procession of the Flowers in Colorado” with renowned botanist Alice Eastwood, blending art and science in a way that was groundbreaking for the time.

Answer: She painted them from live specimens she collected in the mountains *Source, *Source2

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🎉 Events Calendar! (More events including FREE, click here)

Have an event to share? Reply and let me know (include link)

📆 Sample Local Events

Weather permitting

• Oct thru 31: Old Colorado City October Strolls

• Oct 14-19, 1-4 PM: 3-Hour Original Colorado Springs Food Tour @1 Tejon St $69-$87

• Oct 14, 5:15-6:30pm: Scam Prevention Workshop @ Chase Nevada Ave and Southgate, 1802 Southgate Rd FREE (Online option if register)

• Oct 15, 6-7:30pm: A.P.P.L.E. Project - Apple Heritage & History in the Pikes Peak Region @ 17 N Spruce St $8

• Oct 17-19, 24-26: First Company Theater Presents, Brigadoon @First United Methodist Church, 420 N Nevada $20

• Oct 17, 7:30pm: Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’® @Pikes Peak Center $58-$75

• Oct 18, 6:30-8pm: Movies Under the Stars - Black Panther @Bristol Brewing FREE

• Oct 22, Noon-2pm: A.P.P.L.E. Project - Apple Preservation Class @ Colorado State University Extension, 17 N Spruce St $60.54

• Oct 25, 6-9pm: Murder Mystery, Game Over @Great Wolf Lodge, 9494 Federal Dr $74.95 (11 tickets left - Halloween Costume Show)

• Oct 25, 7pm-midnight: Salsa Night At Ivywild @ 1604 S Cascade Ave $15 (Early Sale)-$25

• Oct 26, Noon-3pm: Owl Be There Art Class with Renee Darling @Jaks Brewing, 555 Amelia St $75

• Oct 29, 6pm: Secret of Black Forest Bistro Murder Mystery Dinner @6750 Shoup Rd $80

• Nov 1, 7:30pm: The RiP Improv: Artificial Intelligence @The MAT, 1626 S Tejon $17.50

• Nov 8, 8am-noon: Bear Creek Bear Run @Bear Creek Nature Center $20-$65 (Registration open for this fun, family friendly annual event!)

• Nov 8, 7pm: Oxymorons Comedy: Hunger Games Charity Event @Peak Improv Theater, 3440 N Carefree $15 (family friendly)

👩‍🌾 Farmers Markets - Weather permitting

• Oct 15, 10am-5pm: Summer Farmers Market @ Western Museum of Mining & Industry, 225 N Gate Blvd (Last one for the season)

• Oct 15, 3-7pm: Colorado Farm and Art Market (CFAM) @Pioneers Museum, 215 S Tejon (Last one for the season)

• Oct 18, 10am-2pm: CFAM: The Margarita at Pine Creek, 7350 Pine Creek Rd (Local produce advertised, Last one for the season)

• Oct 19, 11am-3pm: Southeast Farmer's Market (Food Coalition) @Stompin' Groundz, 2050 Jet Wing Dr (Last one for the season)

• Oct 26, 9am-2pm: COS Sunday Market @Acacia Park, Downtown (Last one for the season)

🎶 Fall Concerts - Weather permitting

• Oct 16, 5-8pm: Jazz: Ricky Sweum trio @Mining Exchange Hotel, 8 S Nevada FREE

• Nov 7 & 8, 7:30pm: COS Philharmonic: Top Gun: Maverick @Pikes Peak Center $58

• Dec 21, 3pm: Pikes Peak Philharmonic: Jazz @ENT Center for the Arts, 5225 N Nevada $14-$20

🍂 Fall Festivals, Fairs & Activities - Weather permitting

• Oct thru 31, Director's Cut: Haunted Lantern Tour @Cave of the Winds $45 (Ages: 13+)

• Oct 17-31 (Fri's 9:30am-2:30pm), (Sat/Sun 9:30-4pm): Pumpkin Fest @Gaither Mountain Blooms, 5210 S Hwy 85 $11.17

• Oct 17-26, 10am-5pm (Every Fri, Sat & Sun): Long Neck Pumpkin Farm @ 7595 California Dr, COS $18

• Oct 17-19, 24-26, 31, 4-8:30pm: Boo at the Zoo @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo $24

• Oct 17, 18 & 24, 5pm: Manitou Ghost Tours @Manitou Springs Heritage Center, 517 Manitou Ave $19.89

• Oct 18, 9am-4pm (Every Sat in Oct), Miner's Pumpkin Patch @ Western Museum of Mining & Industry, 225 North Gate $13

• Oct 18, 11am-3pm: Pumpkin & Pine Market @The Mine - 1808 Woodmoor Dr, Monument

• Oct 18, 11am-4pm: Fall Festival @Cave Of The Winds, Manitou

• Oct 18, Noon-4pm: NWIR Fall Festival @ 4450 Foreign Trade Zone Blvd 80925 FREE

• Oct 19, various times: Legends & Lore of Fairview Cemetery @OCCHS, 1000 South 26th St $18-$21 (Time slots are selling fast)

• Oct 19, 11am-3pm: BARKS & BOOS FALL FEST @ Under the Sun Dog Training and Daycare, 6540 Vincent Dr FREE admission

• Oct 25, 10am-7pm: Emma Crawford Coffin Races @downtown Manitou

• Oct 25, 9:30am-4pm: Pup-Kin Days @Gather Mountain Blooms, 5210 S Hwy 85 $5.72

• Oct 25, Noon-5pm: Spooktacular Saturday @Everyday Girl Adventures, 2506 W Colorado Ave FREE

• Nov 1, 10am-2pm: Everything but the Oink @Rock Ledge Ranch $8

• Nov 14 (10am-5pm), 15 (10am-6pm), 16 (10am-5pm): Colorado Springs Christmas Gift Show @Colorado Springs Event Center, 3960 Palmer Park Blvd $12 (Save $2 through Nov 13)

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