Colorado

A’s Offense Coming Alive in Colorado

Published

1 year ago

April 6, 2025

After snapping their losing streak in the first game against the Colorado Rockies, the A’s were out for the series win in game two. Despite some troubling signs early on in this one, the A’s ended up winning fairly comfortably, 7-4, with Mason Miller earning his third save of the season. This is the A’s first series win of the season.

The “troublesome” signs came in the second inning.

Catcher Shea Langeliers (1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 3 BB) led off the frame with a walk, and Tyler Soderstrom singled, putting runners at first and second. Friday’s hero, Jacob Wilson, came up to bat and grounded to third, where Ryan McMahon stepped on the bag, fired to second baseman Kyle Farmer, who went all the way around the horn to Michael Toglia at first to complete the triple play.

The Rockies hadn’t turned a triple play since 2007, and given that the A’s and Rox play three times a year (now), the odds of it happening to them were pretty slim. Alas, it did, and it seemed like an omen for the game itself.

Those feelings weren’t helped when Farmer doubled with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, and JP Sears immediately surrendered a two-run shot to Sean Bouchard to put Colorado up 2-0. It was a two-run shot to Julio Rodíguez that doomed Sears in Seattle, and it looked like a trend may be forming.

After the first three batters in the bottom of the third reached for the Rockies, Sears was able to get Hunter Goodman to ground into a double play, but a run crossed the plate in the process, giving them a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Lawrence Butler manufactured his own run, leading off the inning with a single, then advancing to second on a Brent Rooker groundout. Butler would take off for third, and the throw to the bag sailed into left field, allowing Butler to score, making it 3-1.

A pair of walks to JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers would see the A’s threaten yet again, but Tyler Soderstrom would strike out, and Wilson would yet again ground to third. Luckily, there were already two outs in the frame, so it didn’t result in a second triple play.

In the sixth, nearly the exact same scenario would play out, with Bleday and Langeliers drawing walks, but this time with nobody out. Soderstrom ripped a double down the first base line, scoring Bleday from second and leaving runners at second and third for Wilson, who would face reliever Jimmy Herget.

Wilson would get his revenge, doubling home the pair to give the A’s the lead, 4-3. It was Wilson’s second go-ahead hit in as many days. It’s been quite a week for Wilson, who hit his first MLB home run against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, the first MLB home run at Sutter Health Park, and he’s followed that up with huge hits in the first two games in Colorado.

In the seventh, former A’s reliever Scott Alexander came on to pitch for the Rockies, and he promptly gave up a double to Butler. Yet, the lefty would catch the A’s star leaning, and ended up technically picking him off, though a throw was never made.

Alexander ran towards third when Butler was halfway, getting him to retreat back to second. Butler juked in an attempt to reach third, but went out of the running lane as Alexander tagged him.

Immediately after this, Brent Rooker hit one out to center, padding the A’s lead and making it a 5-3 game. Rooker’s shot traveled an estimated 425 feet. In the dugout, Butler seemed to apologize to Rook after the home run, but the veteran patted him on the chest and seemingly reassured Butler.

JJ Bleday (0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 runs) would walk yet again, and Shea Langeliers smacked a 429 foot homer of his own to center, putting the A’s up four.

Sears would get the first out in the seventh, but then gave up a single to Farmer and walked Bouchard on a questionable ball four call, which lead to manager Mark Kotsay going to the bullpen.

Justin Sterner came in and continued his perfect start to the season, getting Jordan Beck to fly out and Brenton Doyle to strike out, ending the threat.

Tyler Ferguson gave up his first earned run of the season on a Ryan McMahon solo shot in the eighth inning, which created a save opportunity in the ninth for Miller. Yet again, it was the slider that he used slightly more than the heater, and he struck out two to end the game.

With the win, the A’s are now 4-5 on the year and sit in third place in the AL West, 1.5 back of the Los Angeles Angels, and three back of the Texas Rangers. All three clubs won on Saturday night, while the Houston Astros (3-5) and Seattle Mariners (3-6) each lost their games.

JP Sears got the win to even up his record at 1-1, after finishing with 6.1 innings of work, giving up six hits, three earned runs, walking two and striking out two. This is the best start to a season that Sears has had with the A’s, dating back to 2023.

He holds a 3.46 ERA, and nearly all of the damage against him has been on two two-run homers. He looks to be in line for the opening game of the series with the New York Mets in Sacramento.

As for Sunday’s finale, the A’s are expected to throw Joey Estes out there as he hopes to rebound from his start on Monday against the Cubs where he struggled with his command and gave up six runs on nine hits and four walks across four innings of work. He’ll be opposed by 23-year-old Chase Dollander, who will be making his MLB debut. Dollander is also the Rockies’ No. 1 prospect.

Noah Murdock Could be a Leverage Reliever Before Long. dark. Next. Noah Murdock Could be a Leverage Reliever Before Long

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Colorado

Southern Colorado farmers’ market season is here

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Southern Colorado farmers’ market season is here

(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Spring brings the first fresh produce, which means it will soon be time for farmers’ markets to kick off around the area.

For those in Southern Colorado who want to buy their products from local vendors and growers, check out the list below.

North Colorado Springs

Western Museum of Mining and Industry

225 North Gate Boulevard, near the I-25 exit
Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Runs from May through September

Briargate Farmers Market

7610 North Union Boulevard, near Briargate Boulevard
Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Runs from May 27 through Sept. 30

Cordera

11894 Grandlawn Circle, near Briargate Parkway and North Union Boulevard
Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Runs from May 24 through Sept. 6

Colorado Farm and Art Market

7350 Pine Creek Road, near East Woodmen Road and I-25
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Runs from June 20 through Oct. 17

Banning Lewis Ranch at Vista Park

8833 Vista Del Pico Boulevard, near Dublin Boulevard and Marksheffel Road
Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Runs from May 28 through Aug. 27

Backyard Market in Black Forest

6845 Shoup Road, near Black Forest Road
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Runs from May 23 through Oct. 17

South Colorado Springs

Colorado Farm and Art Market

132 West Cimarron Street, at the corner of Sierra Madre Street, Downtown
Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Runs from June 17 through Oct. 21

Old Colorado City Farmers Market

Bancroft Park at West Colorado Avenue and South 24th Street in Old Colorado City
Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Runs from June 6 through Oct. 17

Colorado Springs Sunday Market

Acacia Park 115 East Platte Avenue, Downtown
Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Runs from May 10 through Oct. 25

Southeast Farmer’s Market

2050 Jet Wing Drive, near Chelton Road
Sundays from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m.
Runs from June 14 through Oct. 11

Fountain

Fountain Community Market

Metcalfe Park, 618 East Ohio Avenue, near Fountain Mesa Road
Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Runs from May 30 through Sept. 26

Woodland Park

Woodland Park Farmers Market

At Memorial Park, 117 Center Avenue, near East Lake Avenue
Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Runs from June through September

Pueblo

Pueblo Farmers Market

Mineral Palace Park, 1604 North Santa Fe Avenue, at West 15th Street
Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon
Runs from May 2 through Oct. 31

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Colorado

Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb

Published

16 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb

Seventy years ago, a housing developer looked at an empty stretch of land north of Denver and saw the future. What Sam Hoffman built there became the city of Thornton — and a free public exhibit is now telling that story for the first time in a generation.

CBS Colorado is excited to shine the spotlight on Thornton, as Colorado marks 150 years as a state.

“The history of Thornton is really the history of suburbia,” said Lance Jones, the historian and curator of the city’s 70th anniversary exhibit. “Thornton was planned. Thornton was intentionally created as a city.”

City of Thornton

Hoffman, Jones explained, recognized an opportunity in the postwar boom. “He realized the Denver Metro area was going to really explode and he wanted in on the ground floor,” Jones said. To sell his 5,000 planned homes, Hoffman turned to an unlikely marketing asset — Hollywood.

Three of his employees happened to be the brothers of Jane Russell, one of the biggest film stars in America at the time. “She was an A-list actress. I mean, she was really top of the game,” Jones said. Hoffman asked the brothers if their sister might make an appearance, and she agreed.

“One day in 1954, his grand opening celebration, she came out. And a lot of people came out to see her — big, big crowd,” Jones said. “Thousands of people showed up to see her, to get a glimpse, to take a picture.” Russell would return to Thornton more than three decades later, appearing at the opening of the Thornton Parkway interchange in 1986.

The homes Russell helped promote were advertised at $9,950, with a down payment for GI’s of $532.30 and a monthly mortgage of $65. Jones noted those were not trivial sums for working families of the era. “That represented a big chunk of the average person’s paycheck. People would have to save up for that,” Jones said.

A Denver Post clipping from Jan. 31, 1954, on display at the exhibit, documents the arrival of the city’s first residents. “This is one of the first families in Thornton moving in,” Jones said. “This was a unique thing. They created the city. It just sprang from nothing.”

By 1956, residents had established enough civic infrastructure to pursue formal incorporation. “There were a lot of civic organizations, a lot of clubs, a lot of veterans organizations — it was a big joiner kind of town,” Jones said. “And, eventually, in 1956, they were able to get incorporated.”

That civic spirit, Jones argued, never left. “The culture here in Thornton kind of developed from that. It’s still a city with a lot of civic involvement, a lot of events, a lot of cohesion.”

Loretta Garcia, the first person born in the City of Thornton in 1956.

City of Thornton

The exhibit highlights several residents whose stories reflect the city’s early character. Among the artifacts is a cheerleading uniform that belonged to Loretta Garcia — the first baby born in Thornton after its incorporation. She and the city share the same milestone birthday. “Thornton is 70, and so is she,” Jones said. Garcia was delivered at home on Rowena Street because the trip to a Denver hospital was considered too far. “The doctor came up here and delivered her at home.”

Another featured resident is Norma Ellman, a Thornton High School teacher, who in 1956 traveled to California to compete on a CBS game show called “High Finance.” She won the equivalent of what Jones estimates would be more than $1 million today. The victory was significant enough that the mayor authorized Ellman to present the show’s host with a key to the city of Thornton.

Jones said the exhibit is designed to connect newer residents with the people who built the community, noting that from its earliest days Thornton had a strong Hispanic presence that continues today alongside a growing diversity of other ethnicities.

“The younger people really do need to hear from the folks who made Thornton, Thornton,” Jones said. “You have to know where we came from to know where we’re going.”

The 70th anniversary exhibit is free and open to the public at the Thornton Arts and Culture Annex. Visit this page for days and hours.

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Colorado

Is Elitch Gardens open? Your guide to Colorado amusement parks

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Is Elitch Gardens open? Your guide to Colorado amusement parks

Last year, the buzz around Elitch Gardens was that 2025 could have been its last year — or at least the last year at its current site near Ball Arena.

But a June property deal gave sole ownership of the park’s land to Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the arena, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and other assets. That deal seemed to save Elitch Gardens at its current location for the immediate future, although the specter of a wrecking ball still looms.

Here’s a look at what Colorado’s amusement parks, water parks, fun centers and other activities have to offer in 2026.

Elitch Gardens in Denver

Colorado’s oldest amusement park kicked off its 136^th year April 18 and has new events and activities planned for 2026.

Where: Downtown Denver

When it’s open: It opened for the season on April 18. Hours can vary and the most up-to-date information can be found online at its website.

Can’t miss rides: The park boasts multiple roller coasters, including Twister III, a 4,640-foot wooden coaster featuring a 90-foot drop and a pitch black tunnel. The attraction was listed as temporarily unavailable as of April 20, but other roller coasters include the Mind Eraser, Boomerang and Sidewinder.

Tickets and season passes: A day pass can run as much as $72.99, although discounts can often be found. Season passes start at $84.99, with multiple tiers of perks, with discounts sometimes available. Kids age 2 and younger get in free. Get more season pass information online

More information: elitchgardens.com

Lakeside Amusement Park in Denver

The low-cost alternative to Elitch Gardens is still finalizing plans for the 2026 season, but will be up and running for its 119th year in the same location.

Where: Denver

When it’s open: Lakeside has yet to announce an opening day but typically opens for weekends starting in mid-May before moving to a six-day-a-week schedule (no Tuesdays) from early June through mid-August. It usually closes out the season with weekends-only admission into September. Hours can also vary, so call Lakeside at 303-477-1621 to confirm hours before going.

Can’t miss rides: A smaller park, Lakeside has classic rides such as the Scrambler and the Tilt-A-Whirl. Its roller coasters include the Pinfari and Chipmunk. There’s no update on if its landmark coaster, the Cyclone, will reopen after nearly four years of sitting idle.

Tickets: 2026 pricing has not been announced yet.

More information: www.lakesideamusementpark.com

Glennwood Caverns Adventure Park near Glenwood Springs

The highest amusement park in the land, Glenwood Caverns sits at more than 7,100 feet elevation and offers both rides and chances to explore.

Where: On top of Iron Mountain

When it’s open: It has year-round operations, with all rides slated to open on May 1. The schedule is lighter outside of the summer. Its online schedule shows the park open every day from May 13 through Sept. 7, with hours stretching from 9 am. to 7 p.m. for much of that time before it starts mixing in off-days again.

Can’t miss rides: A gondola ride to the top of Iron Mountain has been a staple of the park dating to its founding, and its alpine coaster back down and cave tours all plays to its unique location. Not all rides are open every day and the harsh weather common on Colorado mountaintops can shut some attractions down, so check the weather and the website before going.

Tickets: Single-day advance tickets start at $32.99 for just gondola rides up Iron Mountain, ranging up to $62.99 for a Fun Day ticket that includes access to two cave tours, alpine coaster and other attractions on the mountaintop. Through April 30, local residents can get free annual gondola passes and a $63 discount on annual thrill passes. Annual passes without the discount are $157 for adults and $147 for children.

More information: www.glenwoodcaverns.com

North Pole – Santa’s Workshop near Colorado Springs

Experience the magic of Santa and the North Pole as early as the spring at this park on Pikes Peak.

Where: Cascade

When it’s open: May 16 marks the return of Santa and the reopening of the shops and rides. The park will be open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. into the fall, according to its website. From Oct. 28 through Dec. 24, it is slated to typically be open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Holiday week schedules can be different and weather could cause the park to close.

Can’t miss rides: The park was built for little kids, with some rides gentle enough to bring an infant on. The Candy Cane Coaster is a right-sized first coaster for preschooler, while the 60-foot high Ferris wheel gives great views of the park.

Tickets: During the summer and fall, admission to the park is free. To ride rides, purchase an all-access wristband at the park for $38 for those ages 3 to 59. Military family members and seniors can receive discounts in the spring and summer. From Oct. 28 through Dec. 24, all visitors age 3 and up entering must pay a yet-to-be-announced admission fee, which includes unlimited rides, and reservations will be required on peak days for individuals. Season passes are available, with some blackout dates.

More information: northpolecolorado.com

Water World near Denver

One of the nation’s top-rated water parks, Water World’s updates in the off-season includes its new Summit Canyon area with new waterslides and a toddler splash area.

Where: Federal Heights

When it’s open: Season starts May 23. Park hours are typically 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., although Summit Canyon will be open to 6 p.m. and special events could alter hours.

Can’t miss rides: The park has more than 50 attractions across 70 acres, including the Mile High Flyer water coaster, the Voyage to the Center of the Earth waterslide and Water World’s lazy river. All were recognized in 2025 in the USA TODAY 10BEST Reader’s Choice Awards in their respective categories.

Tickets: Advance single-day tickets for any day the park is open are $53.99 for people 48 inches and taller and $48.99 for those shorter, with discounts for tickets bought for specific days. A full season Splash Pass starts at $144.99 for people under 48 inches and $154.99 for people 48 inches and taller, with prices going up to add perks like discounts and meal plans. Guests under 40 inches always receive free admission.

More information: waterworldcolorado.com

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park in Cañon City

There is no shortage of ways to experience the beauty of one of Colorado’s most famous landmarks. Some are tame and one gives a unique thrill.

Where: Cañon City

When it’s open: Weather permitting, the park is open year round. The visitor’s center is typically open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and rides typically open at 10 a.m.

Can’t miss rides: The world’s highest suspension bridge is awe-inspiring on its own, and the aerial gondola gives stunning views, but the Royal Rush Skycoaster — which dangles riders 1,200 feet above the Arkansas River — can really get the heart pumping.

Tickets: General admission purchased in advance online is $34.95 for ages 12 and up and $29.95 for kids ages 3 to 11. There are additional fees for the Zipline, Skycoaster or Via Ferrata. A one-year pass is $80 for kids 3 to 11, $90 for ages 12 and up and $260 for a family of four. Discounts on season passes are available for Colorado residents through April 30.

More information: royalgorgebridge.com

Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs

The chain of hotels with their own indoor waterparks has one location in Colorado, offering guests access to waterslides and other entertainment under the same roof as their hotel.

When it’s open: Year-round. Hours vary.

Can’t miss rides: You can spin through the six-story funnel of the Howlin’ Tornado, stand up to the lapping waves of the Slap Tail Pond and race your family in the Mountain Edge Raceway.

Tickets: Rates for day passes and rooms vary greatly, so interested vacationers should look online. Deep discounts are easy to find.

More information: greatwolf.com/colorado-springs

Ski towns

With ski season largely over, many of Colorado’s ski towns are getting ready to start their summer activities. While they do not have full-fledged amusement parks, many of the ski resorts offer mountain coasters, alpine slides and other attractions to keep people entertained in the summer. Check out the options at Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Keystone, Purgatory, Steamboat, Vail and Winter Park long after the snow has melted.