COS Town Tidings #25-343

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🤣 Today’s Chuckle

📰 Historic Shops in Crisis: Could This Bold Move Save Them? 🛍️

📰 Wings & Ent Join Forces, What to Expect 🔄

📰 Driver Cited After Train Crash 🚂

🤯 Trivia Time: What Really Happens In Colorado On This One Day?

🛍 New: Bargain Box Weekly Sales, Dec 9-13! 

📆 Local Events + Concerts & 🤶 Holiday Fairs/Festivals

🌤 COS Weather - Partly cloudy, windy and mild temps

Why did the gingerbread man love Dec 9?

👉IBecause it was still early enough in the season to avoid being eaten… probably 🤣

🛍️ Historic Shops in Crisis: Could This Bold Move Save Them?

Colorado Springs City Council is voting to finalize Old Colorado City’s new Downtown Development Authority, an 11-member board representing more than 400 businesses in the historic district. Modeled after the Downtown Partnership, the DDA would give business owners a clearer voice with city officials, support marketing efforts, and help preserve the area’s heritage while working to attract more local visitors.

Although the DDA could raise funds through mill levies, supporters believe the investment will enhance property values and help bring more events and economic activity to this neighborhood.

🛍 Bargain Box: This Week's Hot Deals! Dec 9-13

A new week means new treasures! We're giving you a first look at the incredible finds and amazing sales hitting the floor for Dec 9-13. Watch now to see what's waiting for you!

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

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

🔄 Wings & Ent Join Forces, What to Expect

Wings Credit Union members have voted to merge with our Colorado Springs–based Ent Credit Union, creating a new $20 billion institution serving nearly one million members. The combined credit union will retain the Wings name and keep headquarters in both Minnesota and Colorado. They state that no branch closures or immediate service changes. 

While members won’t receive payouts, several Wings executives and board members will receive substantial compensation tied to leadership changes and integration work. Full systems integration is expected by 2028, with promises of improved technology, expanded access, and strengthened community programs over time. Full Story

🚂 Driver Cited After Train Crash

Late Sunday night, a driver tried to cross the tracks on West Las Animas and Conejos, was hit by a southbound BNSF train. The train crew slowed down when they saw the vehicle, helping prevent injuries. The tracks were temporarily closed while teams checked the train, tracks, and signals, and the driver was cited and released. 

Police say the incident is a reminder to be cautious and fully aware at railroad crossings, as a small moment of inattention can quickly become dangerous for everyone on the road.

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

🤯 TRIVIA: What Really Happens In Colorado On This One Day?

Did you know Colorado once took a gamble on a brand‑new idea: asking the whole state to give online in a single day? In 2010, Community First Foundation (now Colorado Gives Foundation) and FirstBank launched the first Colorado Gives Day, hoping to raise $1 million for local nonprofits through a then‑risky tool—online donations. Coloradans blew past that goal and gave about $8 million in just 24 hours, proving that people were not only ready to give digitally, but eager to support the causes in their own backyards.​

In what year did Colorado Gives Day donors first surpass a total of $50 million raised in a single giving season for Colorado nonprofits?

Since that first surprise success, Colorado Gives Day (which happens to be TODAY, Dec 9) has grown into a full giving season on ColoradoGives.org, with an incentive fund that stretches every donation and a platform that connects donors to thousands of vetted nonprofits across the state. Each December, those clicks add up to tens of millions of dollars for food banks, shelters, youth programs, health clinics, arts organizations, and human‑services agencies—from the Front Range to the San Luis Valley.​

For Colorado Springs residents, this means the organizations you see doing quiet, everyday good—helping neighbors stay housed, feeding families, preserving local history, mentoring kids, are all just a search and a few clicks away from your support today. Colorado Gives Day started as a “what if?” experiment; it turned into one of the country’s most powerful examples of what happens when a community decides, together, to show up for the place it calls home.

Answer: 2020, marking a new milestone in statewide online philanthropy for Colorado nonprofits. Source

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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

• Dec 9-14, 1-4 PM: 3-Hour Original Colorado Springs Food Tour @1 Tejon St $69-$87

• Dec 9, 6pm: Holiday Dried Decor @ Meraki Springs, 2703 W Colorado Ave $38

• Dec 10, 6-8:30pm: Cinnamon Rolls - Sourdough Baking Class @ Nature's Start Bread Company, 3312 Austin Bluffs $75 (3 Seats Available)

• Dec 11-28: Mary Poppins @ Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale St $18-$70

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

• Dec 12-21: The Importance of Being Earnest @ ENT Center $21-$47

• Dec 13-14 & 20: The Ringmaster`s Christmas @The MAT, 1626 S Tejon $26.50

• 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)

🎶 Concerts - Weather permitting

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

• Dec 12, 7-8:30pm: Heaven and Nature Ring @ Immanuel Lutheran Church, 846 East Pikes Peak Ave FREE

• Dec 13, 3-5pm: Soli Christmas Celebration @ First United Methodist Church, 420 N Nevada FREE (donations appreciated, must register)

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

• Jan 10-11: The Human Equation @ Ent Center for the Arts $18-$41

🤶 Holiday Festivals, Fairs & Activities

• Dec 13 (10am-5pm), 14 (10am-4pm): Candy Cane Craft & Gift Show Fundraiser @ Norris Penrose Event Center FREE admission

• ⛸ 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

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

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

• Christmas Lights Guide - COS, Manitou & Woodland Park

• Jan 3-Feb 21: Ice Castles @ Cripple Creek $16-$29 (tickets on sale now)

    

• Dec 9-11, 15-18: 2025 Creation: The Spirit of the Games Gingerbread Display @ The Broadmoor

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

• Dec 11, Noon-8pm: OCC Christkindlmarket @ Bancroft Park, 2408 W Colorado Ave FREE to attend

• Dec 12, 13, 19 & 20, 6-8pm: Christmas Light Festival 2025 @ St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 7400 Tudor Rd $5.00 Entry fee per family/group + canned goods or a new toy!

• Dec 13, 8am-3pm: Vista Ridge Craft and Vendor Fair @ 6888 Black Forest RD FREE Admission
  Dec 13, 10am-3pm: Black Forest Holiday Market @ Edith Wolford Elementary, 13710 Black Forest Rd FREE admission

• Dec 13, 10am-3pm: Winter Craft Fair @ New Summit Charter Academy, 7899 Lexington Dr FREE admission

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

• Dec 13, 6-10pm: Christmas Gala (Formal/Dinner and Drinks Included) @ 2210 Academy Pl $60-$500

• Dec 13, 20 & 27, 6-9pm: Murder Mystery, The Hollywood Hit - Holiday Show @Great Wolf Lodge, 9494 Federal Dr $79.95 (12 Ticket Left)

• Dec 14, 3-6pm: Holiday on the Hill @ Goldhill Substation, 955 W Moreno Ave FREE

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

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