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Archive for October, 2011

“Extreme Home Makeover” Features Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor Hotel

Monday, October 17th, 2011

On Father’s Day, June 19, 2011, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (EMHE) traveled to Etters, Pennsylvania to surprise the Keefer family with the door knock which can change lives. Dad Steve Keefer retired early to nurture his son Brian, a star athlete who became paralyzed in a life-threatening accident in 2008, just before his 21st birthday. Steve and Brian have an incredible father/son bond and, along with other family members, have worked hard to help Brian realize his dreams of graduating from college someday and regaining his ability to walk.

On July 1st, 2008, twelve days before his 21st birthday, Brian Keefer (an all-around college athlete, volleyball player & coach, record-holding track & field athlete, and president of his college’s gymnastics club) suffered a drastic gymnastics injury that paralyzed him from his neck down. Brian was a sophomore at Lock Haven University heading into his junior year. With this injury, Brian needed 24-hour care and his father Steve didn’t hesitate. After working 30+ years at a distribution post for the military, he gave up his job and regular life to move onto the college campus with Brian as his primary care aide. With his Dad’s help, Brian is (with obvious qualifications) in many ways thriving: he even won Homecoming King at his college.

At his family home, Brian is limited to only a few downstairs rooms of the house. With all his equipment, his makeshift room is very small and cluttered. Brian often feels trapped like a prisoner. Also, the best therapy for Brian is aqua-therapy and although the home has an outdoor pool that Steve built for his sons when they were younger – it is not accessible to Brian in his wheelchair.

The episode kicks-off EMHE’s move to Friday nights and airs at 8pm MDT. The design team has just seven days to build a ‘forever home’ for Brian which affords him both adult independence as he grows and begins a new family someday, AND proximity to his family to take care of him. They will remodel the current family home and create another fully-accessible home for Brian with a separate entrance. The Keefer family have been whisked away on a dream vacation at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO while “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team leader Ty Pennington, designers Paul DiMeo, Ed Sanders, Tracy Hutson and local business Musser Home Builders, Inc., as well as community volunteers, rebuild the structure. The Colorado Springs Film Commission, part of the Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau, and The Broadmoor Hotel worked closely with the show’s production team to ensure an unforgettable vacation for Brian and his family.

The location address is:  75 Dubbers Drive, Etters, PA 17319

The series is produced by Endemol USA, of Endemol Holding, and executive-produced by Brady Connell & George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America.

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Spooktacular Colorado Springs Halloween Events

Thursday, October 13th, 2011

Halloween is almost upon us, here are some freakishly fun ways to celebrate this October in the Colorado Springs region:

Haunted Mines - (Weekends, October 7- 31, 2011) & Halloween Scanvenger Hunt (October 1- 31,2011) – By day, kiddos aged 12 & under visiting the Westerm Museum of Mining & Indsutry can participate in a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt. Clues are hidden throughut the hands-on exhibits to understand life in mining communities. By night, the grounds transform into the area’s most thrilling and terrifying haunted attraction. “Victims” will experience Total Terror as they drop into the Haunted Mines on the Rapid Descenders, travel through spooky tunnels, ride the Hellevator, crawl to escape the vent shaft, slide down flumes, race through cemeteries and get terrorized in a western town. www.hauntedmines.org.

See the Original Creatures of the Night - Weekends, Ooctober 21-30, 2011 - It’ll be all treats and no tricks (well, maybe just a few!) for little ghosts and goblins at this year’s Boo at the Zoo, the region’s largest Halloween party. Boo at the Zoo is for families wanting a safe, not-too-scary adventure. The popular haunted house and ghostly graveyard both return this year. Be sure to check out the “Things That Go Bump in the Night” animal show at the Lodge at Moose Lake nightly. Littler spooks will enjoy the creepy bat cave, pumpkin path and Boo Carousel. Select animal exhibits will also be open. www.cmzoo.org.

A Moonlit “Howl-Oween” - October 29, 2011 - Wolves are elusive in the wild, but the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is home to wolves, wolf dogs, foxes and coyotes. The center offers full moon tours that include feeding the wolves meat-filled pumpkins, hearing wolf trivia by the light of a bonfire under the rising moon. Reservations required 719.687.9742 or www.wolfeducation.org.

Emma Crawford Coffin Races & Parade - October 29, 2011 – The legend of Emma Crawford lives on in this wacky race up Manitou Avenue. Costumed impersonators of Emma Crawford, a 19th-century local who was buried on nearby Red Mountain, ride on coffin-like contraptions pulled by teams of four “mourners.” A parade and awards for the best Emma and most creative coffin complete the daylong event. The night before, a Victorian Wake is held at Miramont Castle in Emma’s honor. Emma supposedly still haunts Red Mountain.  www.manitousprings.org.

Manitou Springs Ghost Tour – October 29, 2011 – The tours tell the stories of real people who lived or died in remarkable ways in Manitou Springs. The ghosts of these departed come back to visit on this one night and feature at least one new or different ghost each year.The tours, approximately 45 minutes long, depart from the Manitou Springs Heritage Center starting at 6:30 p.m. and leave every 15 minutes until the last tour at 9:00 p.m. www.manitouspringsheritagecenter.org.

Trick-or-Treat Train – October 29-30, 2011 - Jump aboard the Royal Gorge Route’s Halloween “Trick or Treat” Train and take a spooky two-hour excursion complete with special treats and costumed staff and guests. The excursion ends at a pumpkin patch where children are free to pick their favorite. Keep an eye out for a glimpse of the ghost of the Santa Fe Depot, believed to be an old railroader from the 1870’s war of the Royal Gorge. 12:30 PM departure on October 29th and 30th. Reservations required, 888-724-5748 or www.royalgorgeroute.com.

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Garden of the Gods Park Named a Top 10 Public Space

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011


Garden of the Gods Park has been designated one of 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011 by the American Planning Association (APA) under the organization’s Great Places in America program. Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center (1805 N. 30th Street) will host a press conference and reception on Tuesday, October 4 at 11 a.m. to celebrate the designation.

“It’s an honor to be one of APA’s Great Places,” says Mayor Steve Bach. “Colorado Springs residents and the two million people that visit each year already know Garden of the Gods is a great place. This designation highlights the role the City and dedicated community members have played over the years in preserving the land where ancestors of the Ute Indians, lived many thousands of years ago.”

APA singled out Garden of the Gods Park for its 300 million years of geologic history, impressive array of dramatic rock formations, and its use as a habitat by species as diverse as dinosaurs and honey ants. The crown jewel of Colorado Springs’ park system, Garden of the Gods Park features a landscape that continues to awe and inspire visitors.

“Garden of the Gods Park rivals any place anywhere in its cultural and spiritual significance, extensive earth history and pure majestic beauty. For thousands of years and still today, people have been drawn to the dramatic red rock formations at the foot of Pikes Peak to live and recreate,” said Jan Martin, of the Colorado Springs City Council.

Through Great Places in America, APA recognizes unique and authentic characteristics found in three essential components of all communities – streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces. APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live every day and are defined by many things including planning efforts, architectural styles, accessibility, and community involvement.

“Except for issues of ownership, Garden of the Gods would have been America’s second national park, a status it undoubtedly merited,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “Its most recent master plan – which incorporates Ian McHarg’s Design with Nature principles – has reduced the potential for degradation and deterioration, ensuring that this magnificent landscape will be enjoyed by future generations.”

The nine other APA 2011 Great Public Spaces are:

·        Fairmount Park, Riverside, CA;

·        Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN;

·        Gray’s Lake Park, Des Moines, IA;

·        Rice Park, St. Paul, MN;

·        Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Nashville, TN;

·        Fair Park, Dallas, TX;

·        Maymont, Richmond, VA;

·        Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA;  and

·        Milwaukee RiverWalk, Milwaukee, WI.

For more information about these public spaces, as well as lists of the 2011 APA 10 Great Neighborhoods and 10 Great Streets, and designations between 2007 and 2010, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces. This year’s Great Places in America will be celebrated as part of APA’s National Community Planning Month in October 2011; for more about the special month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm.

For more information about Garden of the Gods Park, visit www.gardenofgods.com.

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