COS Town Tidings #25-332

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🤣 Today’s Chuckle

📰 Shop Local With FREE Parking 🚗

📰 A Final Update, 10 Years Later 🔚

📰 Holiday Eats: Best & Worst Local Restaurants🍽️

Recipe: 🥘 Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole

🛍 Bargain Box

📆 Local Events + Concerts, 🤶 Holiday Fairs/Festivals

🌤 COS Weather - Partly cloudy and mild temps

Recreation: 🥾 Explore Cheyenne Mtn St Park—FREE Today!

How do you know you ate too much on Thanksgiving?

👉When your sweatpants file a formal complaint 🤣

🚗 Shop Local With Free Parking

Holiday parking just got a little easier around town. Both Downtown Colorado Springs and Old Colorado City are bringing back free parking for several key days this season, making it simpler for families to enjoy holiday shopping, local dining, and all the festive events happening over the next few weeks.

All City-owned garages, lots, and metered spaces will be free on Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday, giving residents and visitors a chance to support neighborhood shops without worrying about the meter. Free parking will also return on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day in both areas.

For those planning to attend one of our city’s most beloved traditions, the Festival of Lights, parking in all downtown City-owned garages will be free from 3–11pm on Sat, Dec 6—a helpful perk for anyone bringing kids, strollers, or simply wanting an easier evening.

These specials are designed to support small businesses during their busiest season and to encourage our community to spend time exploring and celebrating locally.

While you’re downtown with free parking, grab a slice of mouth watering, authentic NY style pizza at Poor Richard’s Restaurant!

🔚 A Final Update, 10 Years Later

For those of us who remember this 10 years ago today, on Black Friday, with his mugshot seared into our memories, there is finally an ending to a case that has lingered in Colorado Springs for a decade. The man responsible for the deadly attack at the Planned Parenthood clinic in 2015, Robert Dear, has died while in federal custody. His death closes a long and painful chapter that never reached a full trial because he was repeatedly found incompetent to stand. Full Story

🍞 Fresh Baked Sourdough breads, pastries 
📍3312 Austin Bluffs (Inside The Cupcake Doctor): 
M-Sat, 9am-6pm

🛍 Bargain Box: This Week's Hot Deals! (Through Sat Nov 29)

A new week means new treasures! We're giving you a first look at the incredible finds and amazing sales hitting the floor through Nov 29. Watch now to see what's waiting for you!

Located at 405 S Nevada Ave, Open Tues - Sat 10am-2pm. (719) 475-1029

• —> 🤲 They Have 5,000 Reasons to Work for Free

🍽️ Holiday Eats: Best & Worst Local Restaurants

Recent local restaurant health inspections revealed a mixed week for El Paso County restaurants. Some places still have work to do, and others are shining examples of what it looks like when a team treats their customers like family and cleanliness is priority.

Two restaurants in El Paso County were cited for significant violations and temporarily closed or failed inspection. These issues ranged from cleanliness concerns to improper food handling that required quick correction.

🚫 These restaurants need to clean up their act. Failed, re-inspection needed

• Coal Mine Dragon – S 8th St
  Failed inspection for the second time this year with 21 violations, including:

  • Multiple handwashing sinks without soap (one containing noodles)

  • Food stored uncovered

  • Completely undated prepped food

  • Facility visibly soiled with food debris

     

• Omelets Etc. – S Academy
  Failed its routine inspection with 12 violations, including:

  • Manager failing the required food safety exam

  • Slime mold found on the ice machine chute

  • Dead insects behind the freezer
    (The restaurant reports that all issues have been corrected.)

🥇 Top Scores! With so many families eating out this week between shopping trips, it’s reassuring to see local spots putting health and safety at the center of everything they serve. Full Story

✅ Other High Scores:

• Crystal Park Cantina – Manitou Springs

  • Spotless dining and kitchen areas

  • Staff treats the space like home and customers like family

   

• El Pollo Loco – E Fillmore St

  • New location opened in October and has been busy nonstop

  • Emphasis on cleanliness and quality

  • A welcome nostalgic favorite for California transplants

Health inspection results across El Paso County are available online for those wanting to check their favorite spots.

*Note: Most local restaurants take food safety incredibly seriously. In fact, many owners respond to violations swiftly and thoroughly, often making fixes the same day while they wait for reinspection. 

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Pendleton Heating and Cooling
🚫 Don’t Let THIS Happen To Your Furnace!

🥘 Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole

Meet your new day-after hero: Thanksgiving Casserole layers juicy turkey, creamy potatoes, savory stuffing, veggies, gravy, and a kiss of cranberry into one cozy leftover bake. It’s fast, flexible, never dry, and tastes like the best parts of the big meal—without a sink full of dishes.

Access the complete recipe with tailored modifications to suit your dietary requirements, along with convenient print options.

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

Have an event to share? Click on calendar above and add it

📆 Sample Local Events

*Weather permitted

• Nov 28-30, 1-4 PM: 3-Hour Original Colorado Springs Food Tour @1 Tejon St $69-$87

• Nov 28-30 - Dec 28: Mary Poppins @ Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale St $18-$70

• Dec 6-7, 13-14: The Ringmaster`s Christmas @The MAT, 1626 S Tejon $26.50

• Dec 7, Noon: Goat's Milk Soap Making @ Meraki Springs, 2703 W Colorado Ave $65

• Dec 12 & 29, 9am-5pm: Dog Days at the Zoo @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo

• Dec 17, 6-8pm: Pedestal Flip Calendar Class @ Meraki Springs, 2703 W Colorado Ave $40

• Dec 21, 10am-Noon: Beginner Dot Mandala Painting Workshop @ Treehouse Cafe, 5965 N Academy $50 (6 Seats Available)

🎶 Fall Concerts - Weather permitting

• Nov 28-30, (2 & 7pm): COS Philharmonic: The Nutcracker @Pikes Peak Center $57-$100

• Nov 29, 7pm: On a Winter's Night - A Christmas Handbell Concert @ St Michael's Episcopal Church, 7400 Tudor Rd FREE

• Dec 3, 4, 9, 6pm: Holly & Ivy concert @ Air Force Academy FREE (must register for ticket)

• Dec 6 (7pm) & 7 (2:30pm): Chamber Orchestra of Springs: Dances With The Winds @ Ent Center for the Arts $18-$41

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

🤶 Holiday Festivals, Fairs & Activities

• ⛸ Through - Jan 18: Skate In The Park @Acacia Park $15

• 🕯 Through Jan 4, Fri & Sat (5:30-10pm) & Sun - Thurs (5:30-9pm): Magic of Lights at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) $28-$72/vehicle

• 🎄 Nov 28 - Dec 27: Christmas at Forest Bend @ Black Forest, 9525 Burgess Rd $15 (Tickets Sell Out Fast) 

• Dec 5-23, 25-Jan 1, 5-8:30pm: Electric Safari @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo $21-$24

   

• Nov 29, 11am-3pm: Holiday Art & Gift Market @ Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E Colorado Ave FREE entry

• Nov 29, 11am-4pm: Holiday Craft Market @ OCC, 1 S 24th St FREE admission

• Nov 29, 4-7pm: Christmas Stroll @ OCC, Bancroft Park FREE to attend

• Nov 30, 9am-3pm: Holiday Market At The Hill @ The Pinery, 630 W Bijou FREE

• Nov 30, Noon-5pm: Sunday Funday Farmers Market @ IvyWild, 1604 S Cascade FREE entry

• Dec 3, 10-13, 17-20, 26-27, 5:30-8pm: 🎄 2.5-Hour Holiday Lights & Bites Progressive Dinner @ Downtown COS $99

• Dec 4, 5:30-8:30pm: Electric Moonlight @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo $70-$80

• Dec 5-6 (10am-4pm), 7 (10am-4pm): Holiday Food & Gift Festival @Norris Penrose Event Center 1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd $8 (get $1 <coupn code HFGF25> or bring a can food item)

• Dec 6, 3:30-6pm: Christkindl Fest @ Ascension Lutheran Church, 2505 N Circle FREE admission (Must RSVP)

• Dec 6, 5:30pm: Festival of Lights Parade @ Downtown, Tejon St FREE

• Dec 7, 2:30-4pm: Grinch Mosaic Class @ The Glass Collective, 828 East Fillmore $45 (Going Fast)

• Dec 13, 4-8pm: Holiday Evening @Rock Ledge Ranch $8

• Dec 13 & 27, 6-9pm: Murder Mystery, The Hollywood Hit - Holiday Show @Great Wolf Lodge, 9494 Federal Dr $79.95 (12 Ticket Left)

• Dec 20, 10-11am: Centerpiece Workshop @ Phelan Gardens, 4955 Austin Bluffs $25

🥾 Explore Cheyenne Mountain State Park—FREE Today!

With Colorado Parks and Wildlife offering FREE entry for Fresh Air Friday, today is the perfect opportunity to explore Cheyenne Mountain State Park without the usual admission fee. The park’s late-November calm brings cooler temperatures, fewer crowds, and excellent chances to spot wildlife along its 28 miles of trails.

Visitors can enjoy everything from easy walks to challenging climbs, plus scenic views, rich history, and abundant open space just south of Colorado Springs. Weather can shift quickly, and dogs are restricted on most trails, but for anyone looking to skip the Black Friday rush, this is an ideal day to get outside.

Location: 410 JL Ranch Heights Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80926 (Hwy 115 & JL Ranch Heights Rd) Park Hours: 5:00 AM – 10:00 PM

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