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COS Town Tidings #26-301 | 10/28/26
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🤣 Today's Chuckle
🏆️ Best Mexican Restaurant: Top 3 Revealed 🌮
✨ Business Spotlight: She Traded the Bank for Her Dream Shop 🎁
📰 Parking at Our Parks Is Changing 🚗
📰 Still Have Your Ballot? Read This 🗳️
🛒 Bargain Box Deals
📆 Local Events + Halloween & Holiday Markets
⛅ COS Weather - Mostly sunny and pleasant, near 69°
Silver Is Up 402% Since 2020. Gold, 186%
Silver has more than doubled gold's return since March 2020, even after a 53% correction from its January peak.
Our research team sees a familiar pattern. Silver's returns more than doubled gold's from 1974 to 1987. After the financial crisis, silver beat gold five-fold in three years.
The reason is size. In 2025, investors put about $15.6 billion into physical silver and silver ETFs, against $111.2 billion for gold. Small inflows move silver hard.
Silver is also in its sixth straight annual supply deficit. The Ultimate Silver Playbook explains what the team expects next. It's free.
Why didn't the skeleton go out for tacos?
👉He had no body to go with! 🤣
🏆️ Best Mexican Restaurant: Top 3 Revealed
☝ Por Favor Tacos & Tragos spices its way into the Top 3 for Best Mexican Restaurant 2026! 🌮
🥰 Why We Spotlight Local Businesses
Every Wednesday, we shine a light on the local entrepreneurs who make Colorado Springs vibrant and unique. When you support these featured businesses, you're investing in our neighbors' dreams and helping build a stronger community by creating jobs and keeping our city thriving. 🤗
🎁 She Traded the Bank for Her Dream Shop
✨ Now running it full time, with her heart in every item
It started with salt dough ornaments at the kitchen table. Amanda was 7, her mom handed her the recipe, and neither of them knew those messy afternoons would lead to a storefront in Old Colorado City.
Amanda Mendenhall spent more than a decade as a personal banker. Budgets, long-term planning, the kind of work that lives in spreadsheets. But that creative kid who grew up doing craft shows with her mom in small-town Arizona never went quiet. The dream of her own shop took root at 15, and she carried it through banking, a military spouse life, and a move to Colorado Springs. Now she's taken the leap: Amanda has left banking behind and runs her shop full time as a solo owner.
Two years ago, she stopped waiting. Head down the stairs underneath Jake and Telly's Greek Tavern on West Colorado Avenue, and you'll find The Mountain Mercantile, a Southwestern and Boho-inspired shop where the first thing you're offered is a cup of coffee and a place to sit. Husbands park themselves at this coffee bar. Tourists wander in and stay longer than they planned. Regulars come back just to see what's new.
Amanda curates every single item on these shelves herself, and she puts her heart into every piece. She also sells her own handmade sock snowmen, gnomes, and beautiful original paintings as they share space with her mom, Arlette's microwaveable bowl cozies, locally made soaps and candles, and vintage paintings by the late local artist Albert Zeki. Whether it is a handcrafted original or a carefully sourced boutique find, every piece is created or chosen with intention.
She also hosts crafting classes and sip-and-shop events throughout the year, so if you've been looking for a reason to try something creative with friends, she's already set the table.
Browse the shop, check the upcoming events at MountainMercantile.shop, and find something wonderfully unusual at 2616 West Colorado Ave #19, Colorado Springs, CO 80904.
Hours: Wed–Thu & Sun 11am–4pm | Fri–Sat 11am–7pm | Closed Mon–Tue
🎄 Your holiday gift list starts here
Skip the big-box crowds this year and check off your list with one-of-a-kind gifts nobody else will be giving. Grab a coffee, take your time, and shop small where your support truly matters. Stop in this week and see what's new!
🥘 While you're there, stop by Jake & Telly's Greek Market in the same parking lot and pick up everything you need for their pastitsio recipe, a cozy Greek-style lasagna that's perfect for chilly nights and holiday gatherings.
🙋♀️ Want Your Business Featured?
Have a story, service or business you'd love to introduce to my Town Tidings readers? I'd love to learn more about what you do. 🤗
🚗 Parking at Our Parks Is Changing
Love a sunny stroll through Garden of the Gods or North Cheyenne Cañon? Here's a friendly heads-up before your next visit. The city is cracking down on unsafe parking at its regional parks, and for the first time, park rangers can now write parking tickets.
What counts: parking on roadsides, shoulders and other spots that aren't marked for parking.
Why it matters: those cars can block gates and emergency access, squeeze cyclists out of bike lanes, and trample the plants that make our parks so pretty.
Grace period first: a 30-day heads-up period comes before tickets, with citations expected to start later this fall.
The cost: fines run about $30 to $100, depending on the violation, and work like any other city parking ticket.
The easy fix? Park only in marked spaces, and if the lot is full, come back a little later or try a less busy trailhead. Early mornings and weekdays are your best friends for snagging a spot, especially on those gorgeous fall days.
The rangers went through background checks and training for the job, and the goal is simple: keeping our favorite outdoor spaces safe and open for everyone. Full Story
🛒 Bargain Box: This Week's Hot Deals!
New treasures are on the floor this week, with amazing sales running through Oct 31! (up to 90% OFF items) Watch now to see what's new!
👉 Remember, you can donate items here too!
Located at 405 S Nevada Ave, Open Tues - Sat 10am-2pm. (719) 475-1029
B-COS We Care Annual FunD Fair! Next Sat, Nov 7 @ Colorado Springs Shrine Club, 6 South 33rd St, from 9am- 2pm.
Meet Roz!
She’s got the Nov 7, Best of the Box thrift jewelry to tell us about. 👆
🗳️ Still Have Your Ballot? Read This
Election Day is Tues, Nov 3, and if your ballot is still sitting on the kitchen counter, here's what you need to know. The suggested last day to mail it back was Monday, so skip the mailbox now and drop it off instead. Your ballot has to be in the clerk's hands by 7pm on Nov 3; postmarks don't count.
Drop boxes: open 24/7 all over El Paso County, and most of us live within 10 to 15 minutes of one. Find yours on the county's drop box list.
Vote in person: 6 voter service centers are open now, weekdays and this Sat, Oct 31, 8am-5pm, including the Citizens Service Center (1675 W Garden of the Gods Rd), Centennial Hall (200 S Cascade Ave), the North Branch (8830 N Union Blvd), the Southeast Branch (5650 Industrial Pl) and UCCS. More centers open Fri and Mon, and on Election Day all 41 are open 7am-7pm. Bring your ID.
Track it: sign up for free text or email alerts at BallotTrax to see when your ballot is received and counted.
Got a signature letter? If the clerk needs to confirm your signature, you can fix it from your phone by texting COLORADO to 28683.
In line by 7pm on Election Day? You still get to vote. For locations, hours and everything else, visit the El Paso County Clerk's election page.
Surprise recipe at Jake & Telly’s Greek Market! 👆
🎁 The Holiday Gift That Means Everything 🐾
Hand-painted pet portraits by a local Colorado Springs artist, with orders closing Thanksgiving. Our readers get 10% off with code COSTOWN10.
*Add events directly to your Google or Apple calendars, submit events, and mark & save favorites!
Every Wed-Sun: Tea at the Castle @ Glen Eyrie Castle, 3820 North 30th St $50
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OCT 28 |
⭐Aging with Confidence: Ask the Experts 👵 Seniors 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM · 📍 Colorado Springs Senior Center, 1514 N Hancock Ave, Colorado Springs Empower yourself with knowledge, resources, support, and expert guidance that can make all the difference for you or you… |
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OCT 30 |
⭐What You Need to Know About Watercolor - $35 Activity 6:00 AM – 7:30 PM · 📍 Hidden Gems UVC, 5020 N Nevada Ave #120, Colorado Springs In this beginner workshop, you’ll learn the essential properties of watercolor and how they influence techniques such as… |
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OCT 28 |
🥃 Spirits of the Night: Tequila Tasting & Food Pairing at the FAC - $75 🥘 Food😊 Social 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM · 📍 Fine Arts Center, 30 W Dale St, Colorado Springs A Día de Muertos evening at the Fine Arts Center: tequila specialist Josh Howard guides you through the history and flav… |
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OCT 29 |
Creepy Colorado History 💗 Community😊 Social 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM · 📍 320 Peppergrass Ln, Fountain Halloween is just around the corner so get ready to hear some haunting history about the state we call home! We’ll shine… |
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OCT 29 |
Haunted Manitou Ghost Tours - $25 Activity 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM · 📍 502 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs Embark on a spine-tingling journey through the haunted history of Manitou Springs, Colorado, on our ghost tour. Traverse… |
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OCT 30 |
Themed Weekend: Costume Party & Pup-Kin Fest Family 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM · 📍 Venetucci Farm, 5210 S US Hwy 85, Colorado Springs A costume party for humans and dogs alike, featuring trick or treating for kids and pups. |
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OCT 30 |
Autumn on the Farm (Fridays) Festival 9:30 AM – 4:00 AM · 📍 Venetucci Farm, 5210 S US Hwy 85, Colorado Springs Enjoy a pumpkin patch, craft fair, beer garden, and hayrides as part of a 90-year tradition at the farm. |
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OCT 30 |
Dia De Los Muertos, Life Celebration Cultural Event 🎭 Arts/Theater💗 Community+2 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM · 📍 6145 Shoup Rd, Colorado Springs Dia De los Muertos is a colorful cultural Mexican celebration, where the lives of our loved ones who have passed are cel… |
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OCT 30 |
🎃 Boo at the Zoo at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo 🧒 FamilyFestival 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM · 📍 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd, Colorado Springs The region's most unique Halloween event! Bring the grandkids in costume for safe trick-or-treating among the animals, H… |
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OCT 30 |
Teens Night Out: Colorado Cryptids Activity🧒 Family 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM · 📍 245 Bear Creek Rd, Colorado Springs Drop your teen off for a cryptic night along the creek! Made for teens to learn about the weird things that may, or may… |
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Nov 7, 6-9pm: Murder Mystery, Dirty Money @Great Wolf Lodge, 9494 Federal Dr $79.95
Nov 22, 2:30 & 7:30pm: Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve @The Broadmoor World Arena $99-$160
🧳 Your Mini Vacation Awaits
Trade the daily grind for the crisp, alpine peaks of Breckenridge or the sunset-soaked charm of Santa Fe. Grab your spot before it’s gone!
📣 Local Business Owners, Let's Get You Noticed!
Your next customer are already reading the Town Tidings! See what happens when locals discover a business worth knowing. 👇
Ready to get more locals discovering YOUR business?
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Be the FIRST to unlock EXCLUSIVE offers, special savings, and the latest announcements from businesses and events in our area, all delivered straight to your phone.
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Disclaimers: All content deemed accurate at publishing. Independent of local entities. Aims to inform, connect, entertain. Updates on website version.
