The Noco Pulse | Week of June 15

Where are my other baseball parents at? Because I spend four nights so we get the baseball field right now and it's a little overwhelming. It has been a little too warm out there, but our seven year old did hit us first triple yesterday. So, yep, let's go. But welcome to the Noco Pulse, where we keep our finger on the pulse of what's going on in Northern Colorado. Keep you up-to-date with business and community news so you don't miss anything. I'm Kurt Bear, the owner and founder of Locot Think Tank and the host of the Locot Experience Podcast. And I'm Kelsey Harris, the owner of this is Noco and Discover Noco magazine. Now let's get into what's moving in Noco. The on-the-move segment is sponsored by Miles Beyond Running Community. And their next two races are very much seasonally inspired to celebrate USA 250 in the Colorado 150. So the Red White and Blue race is coming up on June 20th and that starts in finishes at the grain house at Rain Dance Windsor. And they've got everything from a 5K to a half marathon and rut races and the Freedom 5K in Greeley is on July 4th morning. So for both of those, it's totally appropriate to rest in your Red White and Blue attire and I'll be there emceeing at the Freedom 5K. I was gonna say if you want some inspiration, Kurt was just on the Miles Beyond Instagram for the July race and that's some great inspiration for what to wear. Yeah, check out Holy Week. Let's move in in Noco. Well, I went to the FCP Insider event last week and that was featuring Christopher Thornberg. I think I might have shouted it out from here of Beacon Economics. And one of his big insights for our region is that workers are on the move out of Colorado. Oh, we've had a negative migration in the last two years and the biggest thing holding Northern Colorado back is workforce. We have a very young and very educated workforce but it's not growing fast enough for our businesses. Okay. So they're moving out for more affordable housing in different places, lower taxes and we're not making as many babies as we used to here either. So that's why you're seeing a lot of focus by Chambers and the Noco Foundation to looking at housing production and affordability which is basically the same. Need more supply if they're gonna get cheaper. And if you can't afford to live here, they won't be able to grow. So for our local listeners, the easiest way for you to help is to make more babies. You're right here. What's moving out, Kelsey? Well, there's a quick, what's moving is that you mentioned the Noco Foundation and I did see that they announced the purchase of the council tree library from the puter libraries to the Noco Foundation. They just announced it I think yesterday and the Noco Foundation won't move in until like 2028 when the new community center is done, but I think that will be a great move for them. Super cool. Yeah, they've been at that office harmony for many years and have grown a lot. Yes, so now they'll have good space. So that was not what I was planning, but reminded me. But what else is moving is dirt. All of the time at the Greeley Stampede, we got to interview for behind the scenes for the 104th annual Greeley Stampede, which is coming up on June 24th and learned how much time and effort the actual dirt of the rodeo arena takes. It is a footing award winner, which essentially means that it's really great for the horse's feet and that they don't slip. They have good. Your own girls roll fast. Yes, they have good footing in the dirt. But in order to do that, they are kind of constantly working the dirt. So they have what they call a dirt zamboni that grades the dirt. They have a machine that we got to see that picks up all the rocks out of the dirt because the island grove is over an old riverbed. So they said that even now rocks are working their way up. And so they got to pull those all out. And the thing that got me the most was how on the move, they have to be after the concerts. Because the concerts are on the arena. On the rock dance and on the dirt. And everybody has dance and on the dirt and flatten it out. And then they start immediately that night to turn the dirt over so it's nice and fluffy by the next day. Pretty cool. So when you are at the Greeley Stampede, don't just be looking around at all of the pretty things and the amazing rodeo. Take a look at the dirt because it is on the move. That's pretty cool. Yeah, on the farm, we would maybe move the dirt two, three, four times a year. Which, you know, they're doing it sounds like all year long. All year long. Especially during the rodeo. Yeah, they said leading up it kind of increases all the time. I would have never thought about the dirt, to be honest. Thanks for the minute. Yes, that's so thanks Kevin. Our next segment is the Community Gatherings. And that is brought to you by Ginger and Baker. And I am working on planning ahead more in my life. And so I'm going to help you plan ahead so that you don't miss their next murder mystery event. Their first one was in May and it was a huge success. So their second one is coming up August 18th. So grab your tickets now. This one is called Farm to Floor. So we'll have to see what that means and so farm to table. Farm to grave. Oh, yeah, that's true. So we'll have to see what that is, but grab your tickets. They're available now. Very cool. And my gathering for the week is that next week is Foco's fifth annual Juneteenth celebration. And to be honest, growing up, I didn't really know what Juneteenth was. I feel like we don't talk about it. It wasn't really a celebration, probably outside of Texas, where it was a big holiday, but now we have a gathering that just keeps getting bigger every year. And this year, Foco Juneteenth is on Friday and Saturday. Friday night, there is a youth gathering at the Cultural Enrichment Center over on Mulberry. And then the first kickoff concert at the Foothills Mall. And then Saturday, you can start with a community bike ride, which starts at Washington Park and ends at the Foothills Mall so that then you're there and ready to party all day long. There's everything from yoga to concerts to vendors. So definitely get out and check that out next weekend. Very cool. And that's where you gather. I have got the Power Wheels 500, which is an electric car race. Oh, not what I expected. At Ken's Automotive in Fort Collins. OK. So it's a second annual and there's classes from 12 volt to 24 volt, apparently modified and non-modified. And it's free to attend. There's food and drink. And it's from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 20th. OK, I hadn't heard about this, and it sounds great. I've never heard before about looking for something cool and it seemed like it fit the bill. So go to their Facebook page for Ken's Automotive to register your kid's car if you want to, or just pop by if you just want to check it out. And just watch. That's right. That sounds great. So I've got the no-code beat up next. And that's our music arts and entertainment feature. And Kelsey, what are you featuring this week? Yeah. This week off the hook arts is putting on a whole week of kind of events that are called the music spoke series. And the specific one I'm highlighting out is on Friday the 19th. It is the COA string quartet recital. So it is featuring members of the Dolly string quartet who are also putting on other events throughout the week. But this one's actually in the lobby of the Northern Hotel building, which I don't feel like we ever really just go in that space. But it is gorgeous inside. And so it is at 5.30 pm. Tickets are on sale on their website. But you can get events for the entire week. They've got them starting, I think, on Tuesday for this music spoke series. Very cool. Where are you going this week? I've got verbotents 5th annual street, or no, 5th street block party. I don't know if it's manual, but that's coming up on June 20th as well. So a lot of stuff going up on this coming weekend. That's starting at 1 p.m. going until 10. I think they co-host that with 477 to stilling and comic chicken. And it features live music from Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears as well as the Grant Saban trio and a couple of other bands. Also food trucks and vendors and shade. The posters specifically mentions abundant shade. Which is not hard. So I thought it was cool that three businesses came together to have the floor space to host something cool in downtown loved ones. So go and check it out. Yeah, I love the move onto 5th street. I feel like there's so much on 4th street in Lovelin. Those businesses coming together. You know, it's hard to close it down. Yeah, it's a big kind of area. So it sounds like a great time. That's what we're moving into our community. Supporting community. And this is brought to you by Breeze Through Car Wash. And Breeze Through invests so much into our community, not just through the ways that they do business, but also in ways that bring people together. They have a lot of focus on music and the way that that shared experience kind of shapes our community. So they sponsor things like the Lagoon Concert Series, which is going on right now. And the one sweet summer concert series, which is kind of the same style, but it's in Lovelin. So I love that they are in Fort Collins and Lovelin as well as things like Foco MX in April and fight the stigma music festival. So they're kind of are making sure that the community is coming together around different styles of music. So thank you so much for that, Breeze Through. Breeze Through. You're welcome. And so I am highlighting the Garden Tour, which is with the Junior League of Fort Collins. The Junior League of Fort Collins is a women's centered nonprofit. And they do a lot of community training and leadership programs. And they are opening up the homes of the old Fort Collins High School neighborhood, which is now the CSU University Arts Center. So if you know that neighborhood kind of in the middle by CSU, there will be gardens open. There will be a block party and a kid zone. So you can grab vendors and food trucks. I saw the Taco Man food truck will be there, which is my personal favorite. So I would check it out. That is June 27th from 8 to 1. I have got bike to work day coming up. I love bike to work day, even though I work from home. So make sure your bike is tuned up ready to go. Or if it's rideable, there are free tuneups all around town. I actually, I didn't, and I need one for my bike. Well, very good. That's great. So, and if you're a business owner looking to, if you're along a bicycle route, grab a station next time. You're too late for this particular event, but there will be a fall bike to work day as well. And you can feature some food. You can get your staff involved in serving the community and it's a couple of hours. Yeah, that's, we love it. We don't go to work, but we will just bike to the stations and bike around and then bike home and work. So, there's a lot of fun and food and interesting people. So check out bike to work day, June 24th. June 24th, love it. And then what's going on in the business world of Northern Colorado? Well, we will find out at the state of business event by the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce, that's June 24th at the in-hizer bush beer garden. Okay, yeah. I haven't been out there in a long time. Yeah, I think this is one of the only events that they actually do out there. But it's an annual event, four to six PM. It's a signature event. So you're going to see three, four, five hundred people out there. They'll be kind of regionally famous speakers, some good updates from the city and the county and things like that. And it cost us $25. Oh, that's super affordable. There's really good food too. So check that out, register on the chamber website. Check that out on June 24th. Yeah, I wonder if they're going to have similar things to say about our population and business and how that's... Yeah, they'll probably be gathering some of that. I know the chamber heavily funded a workforce study. Okay. Has come out recently as well, that equit a lot of the same sentiment. So yeah, sure, there'll be some highlights from that report and others. Hopefully then they'll have some positive things we're working towards as well. Just make babies. Yeah, that's the goal here. But we are looking at the ways that food brings us all together as well. And what are we eating in Noco this week? And this week, we went or last week, we went to the very first Friday fest for the year in downtown Greeley, which kicks off Blues Jam and we tried the new Trace Amigos Mexican restaurant. It took over the Luna's location right in downtown Greeley. And I will say I did feel that for them that I think it was like their first or second Friday and it was probably the busiest Friday of the year. Blues Jam is such a big draw to downtown Greeley. So it definitely felt like they were a little overwhelmed, took a little while, their systems weren't down yet. But the food was amazing. And so I think that that is a great sign and the people were very kind. You could tell they were feeling overwhelmed about focusing on making sure everything was going as best as it could. And my Marguerita was very large and it was only $9. And that is always a win for me. Yeah, that's great. That's a great person Marguerita in this area. And so their first location is in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I'm in there expanding for their second into downtown Greeley. So I think it's definitely worth heading down there and giving them a try. Maybe on a weeknight or not Friday festnight when it's like an hour, it was like an hour away. So just take that in mind. What are you eating this week? I may or may not be there. But when I was looking for something for the music segment, I stumbled upon Canyon and Coles at Riverside, which was on the Michelle Walker website. And this is a very exclusive private chef event. I think you said it's Chef Billy. Yeah, Chef Billy, he is great. And that's on June 18th. And it is followed by a concert by at least one tour. So there's gonna be some kind of like cooking with Coles kind of element. And it is a premium meal. It's $153. That's why me and Jill might not attend. But if you've been lacking on the date nights, this should be among the most special in the region. Yes, and that's if you're looking for Chef Billy, his business is Canyon's and chefs. Okay, and I know he is a private chef, but we also have gotten to experience his cooking over Coles and it's worth $153. It was very good. It's such an experience. And then to have music from a least wonder paired with it, I definitely, if you're looking for something special to do, this is a great one. I've seen on the outdoor boys on YouTube that they like cook big ribbys right on the Coles and stuff. It's kind of like that and it's all, he did like four courses. And so you'd get everything from getting to watch like the cheese melt for your bread down to cooking the ribbys on the Coles. It's very good. We also love the outdoor boys. So shout out. Maybe Jill, if you listen to this, don't listen. But so check out Chef Billy, head up to Riverside. It'll be a beautiful location too. But awesome. Well, we love local over here. Do you know that? And if you are checking out something local, let us know. I actually got a message just this morning that I forgot to put up in the Juneteenth segment about the Friday Fest for next week will actually be Juneteenth specific. And that is paired with the Marcus Garvey Center for UNC. Okay. So they reached out seeing if we could shout that out. And so if you're over in Greeley and looking for a Juneteenth celebration, head to downtown Greeley on Friday. Is there like a Juneteenth wear? Like red and blue? It's normally a black, green, and red. So kind of like Jamaica style? Kind of like Jamaica style. Yeah. I got some Jamaica style. It's like, yeah, you get like a dark black kind of a muted red. And well, no, I actually think yellow gets thrown in there. So I think your Jamaica style could work. If I were my like Bob Marley hair hat. I don't know if we need the hair hat. But you could. You know. It's in the right sentiment. I won't do black face. I think that's let's not do that. Okay. Thanks guys. We'll see you next week. I'm a great week, no go.