Fall Harvest Festival to benefit Bear Creek Nature Center

Celebrate the season at the Fall Harvest Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at Gold Hill Mesa Community Center, 142 S. Raven Mine Drive (80905). Admission: Free.

$12 wristbands will be available to purchase for kid’s activities including pony rides, petting zoo, face painting and glitter tattoos. The wristband sale includes a pumpkin to take home.

There will be a live performance by bluegrass band Red Mountain Boys. Food, beer and wine and a variety of unique craft vendors will be on site. A portion of vendor proceeds and wristband sales will benefit Bear Creek Nature Center/Friends of El Paso County Nature Centers.

Motorless Morning at Garden of the Gods scheduled for Oct. 9

The City of Colorado Springs’ Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department will host a Motorless Morning in Garden of the Gods Park from 5 a.m.-noon Oct. 9. During Motorless Morning, park rules and regulations, including speed limits, apply; however, skateboards and longboards are welcome on park roads during this event. There will also be designated slow zones and one-way traffic. The park reopens to motor vehicles at noon.

Visitors can park at the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center, 1805 30th St., Colorado Springs; Garden of the Gods Trading Post, 324 Beckers Lane, Manitou Springs; or in the overflow parking lot at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, corner of 30th Street and Gateway Road. Designated parking for persons with disabilities is available at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center. From the visitor center, a shuttle into the main parking lot will be available upon request for those guests who need it.

Volunteers needed for El Paso County Fair Advisory Board

The Board of El Paso County Commissioners is seeking community-minded citizen volunteers to serve on the El Paso County Fair Advisory Board. Applications are due Oct. 11.

The BOCC is seeking four associate members.

The El Paso County Fair Advisory Board assists with the development, management, programming, operation and maintenance of the Fair and Events Complex in Calhan. Board members also help to produce the annual County Fair.

Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at Swink Hall on the El Paso County Fairgrounds, 366 10th St., Calhan.

The volunteer application can be found at elpasoco.com and bocc.elpasoco.com/volunteer.

Send completed applications to: Board of El Paso County Commissioners, Attn: Ingrid Mobley, 200 S. Cascade Ave., Suite 100, Colorado Springs 80903-2208. Or email ingridmobley@elpasoco.com.

Applications can also be faxed at 719-520-6397 or emailed at volunteer@elpasoco.com.

Bear Creek Dog Park to close for maintenance

Bear Creek Dog Park will be closed until Oct. 10 for maintenance, the El Paso County Community Services Department said in a news release.

During the closure, crews will be onsite for forestry maintenance, trail restoration and continued drainage improvements, including:

• Forestry — hazard tree removal, tree pruning and fire mitigation
• Trail maintenance — grading and resurfacing the main loop trail
• Drainage improvements — culvert clearing and removal of excess sediment from drainage structures

Citizens are encouraged to visit the three other dog parks in the El Paso County Parks system during the closure:

• Fox Run Regional Dog Park, 2110 Stella Drive
• Falcon Regional Dog Park, 11050 Eastonville Road
• Fountain Creek Dog Park, 2010 Duckwood Road

Education updates

The University of Rhode Island has announced that Sarah Parker (80906, Cheyenne Mountain High School 2020 grad) was named to the university’s spring 2021 Dean’s List. Additionally, the URI Department of Chemistry announced that Parker was selected as Outstanding Freshman Student and was recipient of a CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and the Joseph Waite Ince Award.