Arbor Day/Earth Day Celebration

From the Longmont Parks page:

"April 17th between 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Thompson Park, 4th & Bross. Arbor Day is a growing experience, Earth Day is about environmental awareness. Come and join in the combined celebration to enjoy and learn more about both. Festivities include obstacle course, games, balloons, live music, an "edible forest" lunch and, of course, the annual tree and rosebush sale. Last year was tree-mendously fun, so if you missed it last year, plan on attending this year. Need more info. call Ken Wicklund, City Forester at 303-651-8449 or email me at ken.wicklund@ci.longmont.co.us. Rain date is April 24th."

This event has been fun for our family! Our boys especially enjoy the zip lines and rids up in a bucket truck!

Free Shredding Day

From last week's Longmont eNews: "Longmont residents are invited to bring up to three boxes or bags of paper documents for free shredding on Saturday, January 30 from 9 a.m. to noon at Golden Archives Records Management, 111 S. Pratt Pkwy. Donations will be accepted with the money going directly to the Police department for identity theft prevention and education."

BOO it's Halloween!

Oh poor neglected LongmontMom blog. Anyone know where I can find a few more hours in the day? :)

Anyway...

Halloween is Saturday! Looking for fun stuff to do in and around Longmont? Great! Here's what I know:

Longmont Halloween Parade - Line up at 9:30 at Roosevelt Park and then parade your adorable costumes down Main Street. Follow that up with Trick or Treating at the shops along Main and it's a perfect way to spend Halloween morning! Here's a link to the parade route in case you feel like watching instead of walking!

Dia de los Muertos - The Longmont Museum and Cultural Center hosts it's annual Day of the Dead Celebration on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. From their website: "Music, dancing, singing, sugar skull decorating, traditional food, community altars, paper flower making, Día de los Muertos tattoos, and more. Free Admission.

Courtyard Entertainment
11:30 am –12:30 pm......Kalpulli Mitotilitztli Aztec Dance Group
1 – 1:45 pm....................Canciones de Mi Tierra and Coro San Juan
2 – 2:45 pm....................Alternatives for Youth Folklorico Dancers"

Halloween Events at Twin Peaks Mall - We've Trick or Treated in the mall in the past, but that was back when there were stores there! Ok, there are still a few left but I'm not sure how well attended this one will be! There will be a kiddie carnival for kids under 12 in the North Court by Pretzelmaker from 4 to 6 pm including games, music and activities. Then there's mall wide Trick or Treating from 6 to 8 pm. Also a costume contest near Pretzelmaker at 7 pm (registration for this starts at 5, full face masks not permitted). For the bigger kids (over 10), there's also an "Edgar Allan Poe Haunted House" from 5 to 11 pm on both Friday and Saturday nights. It's located next to the movie theater!

Safe Halloween Night at the Longmont Recreation Center - Visit the Rec Center from 6 to 8:30 pm Saturday for carnival games and boat rides in the pool. This one is best for kids 10 and under.

And an outside of Longmont event? The Munchkin Masquerade, Trick or Treating down Pearl Street in Boulder, has been postponed to Sunday, November 1st, from 1 to 4 pm. More than 60 stores will have candy and activities! Get a map at the Daily Camera parking lot (10th and Pearl) before heading out.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Longmont Fire Muster on Saturday

Just found out about this fun event happening tomorrow and you can bet our family will be there!

Longmont Fire Dept turns 100 years old and is 'mustering' up a parade and party this weekend!

The City of Longmont's Fire Dept is celebrating by throwing a "muster" this weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of it's great fire department and lots of fire trucks (old and new) will be on display. A parade and open house will be held.

Schedule for the Longmont Fire Muster this weekend, Saturday August 15th:

PARADE - 9am - Main Street south from Longs Peak to 3rd Avenue.

TERRY STREET STATION OPEN HOUSE - 1:00pm - 3:00pm - Longmont's newest fire station. While preserving many pieces of Longmont history, the use of alternative energy and resource conservation features were a priority in constructing this building. The new station is home to a three-person engine crew, a four-person ladder crew, a two-person ambulance, and the on-duty chief officer.

FIRE BLOCK - 10am-2pm - Fire safety education on 4th between Main and Coffman. Vehicles from parade set up on Coffman between 4th and 6th. Fire department demonstrations at 4th/Coffman:

10:00am - Repelling Demonstration

10:30am - Steam Engine Display

11:00am - Fire Sprinkler System Demonstration

11:30am - Bomb Trailer Demo

12:00pm - Vehicle Extrication Demonstration

12:30pm - Steam Engine Display

1:00 pm - Bucket Brigade

For more info, go to:
http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/fire/

Rhythm on the River this weekend

One of our family's favorite Longmont events starts tomorrow - Rhythm on the River. This FREE festival with great food, music and entertainment runs Friday 5-8:30 pm and Saturday 7 am to 8:30 pm at Roger's Grove. There is free parking at the Boulder County Fairgrounds and stroller friendly shuttles to take you over to Roger's Grove.

There are so many fun things packed into that short time that I just have to direct you to the city's website about it. Our favorites include the music, climbing on city trucks, the pancake breakfast, and the many many kids events - rock climbing, bike course, jumpy castles, puppet shows, art projects, food from lots of local restaurants, etc, etc. It's a great way to spend a day in Longmont!

Pet and Doll Parade this Saturday

Don't forget Longmont's annual Pet and Doll Parade is this Saturday at 10 am at Roosevelt Park! Bring your kids and their stuffed friends for a walk around the Roosevelt Park loop followed by a free popsicle! Wagons and strollers (especially decorated ones) are welcome. This year's theme is Under the Big Top and there will be clowns, jugglers, balloon sculptors and painters. See this page for a few more details!

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Unfortunately the forecast for Saturday once again includes rain but perhaps this event will still happen?

7th Annual Longmont Cinco de Mayo celebration
When: Saturday, May 2nd from 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Where: Roosevelt Park (Longs Peak Avenue & Coffman Street)

Enjoy the Chihuahua Dog contest, specialty and information booths, New Car Exhibit, live entertainment, and delicious food booths!

Lots of fun for the whole family - they usually have fun crafts and freebies for the kids!

For more information, contact Mary Vigil, Cinco de Mayo Planning Committee Chair, at 303-776-8184.

Little Builders FREE family drop-in

One of the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center's upcoming exhibits is called Little Builders. It will feature hands on activities including building structures with blocks, bricks and pipes as well as learning about weight, size, gravity and balance. The exhibit runs from May 23rd to August 2nd but they have a FREE family drop-in day on Wednesday, May 27th, from 10 to noon! This event will include free hard hats for the first 250 kids from Longmont Power and Communications and cool construction equipment on display outside!

2nd Annual Fishing Derby

On Saturday, May 9th, from 9 to 11 am, Longmont Recreation Services will host their second annual fishing derby. For $5, youth 15 and under will receive entry into door prize drawings and be able to attend one of five 10 minute clinics. The kids will then fish at the pond outside the Longmont Rec Center and judging for largest fish will begin at 11 am. Hot dogs, chips and soda will be available for sale too. Register today - the first 50 registrants get a fishing pole!

Arbor Day/Earth Day Celebration

The City of Longmont Parks Dept is hosting a combined Arbor Day and Earth Day celebration at Collyer Park on Saturday, April 18th, from 11 am to 3pm. Come learn more about what an arborist does by going up in a bucket truck, riding a zip line or climbing a tree! There will be trees and roses for sale, lunch for a dollar, live music and opportunities to learn more about our environment! The rain date is April 25th. Or maybe they should call it the snow date as things are going these days! :)

Car Seat Safety

Did you know you can get a free car seat safety check? The City of Longmont provides a car seat safety check point on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at Longmont Fire Department Station 2, located at Mountain View and Hover Street, from 2pm until 7pm. There is no need to make an appointment and there is no charge.

If you have two vehicles, it is recommended that you bring both to the checkpoint. The firefighters are really knowledgeable about car seat safety and have been so helpful for our own family. We visited there before our oldest was born to make sure we had the base to his infant seat installed correctly and learned so much that they don't tell you in the car seat manual. We've gone back each time we get a new seat to be sure it's installed right. It's definitely worth the time!

Also, you can get more free MATT stickers at several locations throughout Longmont. These are the stickers that you put on your car seats so that if you are unable to communicate after an accident they will know important information about your child. We were good about putting these on our infant seats (since we got the MATT stickers at the hospital) but forgot about them when we got toddler seats until we went to the car seat safety check! These are also really important if your child rides in other people's cars (i.e. for carpools) so you can be contacted in case of emergency.

Underwater Easter Egg Hunt

Centennial Pool's annual Underwater Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, April 11th, from 1 to 4 pm. They put weighted eggs at the bottom of the pool and kids can trade those eggs for goodies! The cost is $3 per swimmer/$1 per observer and even little ones who can't quite swim yet can participate (though a parent does need to be in the water with children 5 years old and younger). Centennial Pool is at 1201 Alpine Street.

Spring Break events at the Library

It looks like the library will have special storytime events every day during St. Vrain's Spring Break this year! Only the March schedule is published but I suspect they'll have something going on the first few days of April, too. Here are the events for that Monday and Tuesday:

Monday
Connie Elstun’s Bunny and Birdie Magic Show
10:15-10:45 am and 11:15-11:45 am
Ages 3 and up

Tuesday
Drop-in Art
Make a Bookjacket Butterfly
10:00 am to Noon
All ages

Ice Rink closes this Sunday

The final day of the Ice Pavilion's 2008-2009 sesason and the rink will feature its annual March Meltdown event on Sunday, March 15th, from 1 to 5 pm. The event will feature skating, ice painting, and ice cream. Regular admission and skate rental prices apply. Come out to the Longmont Ice Pavilion and celebrate the completion of a tremendous year at the rink.

2 for 1 at the Longmont Ice Rink!

Check this out! On Friday and Saturday nights from 5 to 9 pm you and a friend can both skate at the Longmont Ice Rink for the price of one admission. Skate rental is additional but, still, if you're an adult Longmont resident that saves you $5.50! See this page for more info on the ice rink.

Longmont Rec Center Summer Camps

Registration for Summer Camps offered through the Longmont Recreation Center begins February 23rd! See this page for the schedule and pricing. Have any of you sent your children to this camp? Post a comment or send me an email with your opinions!

Sandstone Ranch Visitor Center Holiday Event

"Saturday, December 13, 2008
12:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Get away from all the Holiday shopping and stress and come enjoy storytelling by Dan Overholser and Spellbinders, caroling by Jesters and Heartland. The children can decorate a cookie and make several crafts, toast marshmallows and just enjoy the wonder of Sandstone Ranch."

See this page for directions and more info on Sandstone Ranch!

Longmont Lights just keeps getting better!

Last year I thought I would miss the Holiday River Walk that the city used to host a Roger's Grove but I was wrong! The Longmont Lights events were so much fun and this year they have expanded it even more....

Look at all these events from the City of Longmont's website!

Come enjoy a magical place with sparkling trees and glittering paths. Glowing lamp posts will guide you throughout Roosevelt Park. A week long event with the following activities:

• Friday, December 5 - Downtown Longmont Tree Lighting is at 6pm, activities and holiday carriage rides 5pm- 8pm. Roosevelt Park kick off lighting is at 5pm. Free carriage rides will pick up from St.Stephens Plaza and the St.Vrain Memorial Building.


• Saturday, December 6, 10am-6pm- Ice Skating at Roosevelt Park with free skate rental.


• Sunday, December 7, Mini Gingerbread House Workshop 1-3pm at the Longmont Rec Center, 310 Quail Road. Free drop-in class, but space is limited.


• Monday, December 8, 4:30pm and 7pm - Movie Night at the Longmont Theatre presenting "It's a Wonderful Life". Come enjoy the downtown restaurants before or after his family oriented movie.


• Tuesday, December 9, 6:30pm Library Holiday Story telling with Spellbinders.


• Wednesday, December 10, 5pm-8pm National Collage Society 24th Annual Juried Exhibit. The Exhibit continues through January 11, 2009. (Tue-Sat. 9-5; Wed 9-8; Sun 1-5). Free. Longmont Museum.


• Thursday, December 11, 7:30pm Holiday Ice Show at the Ice Pavilion in Roosevelt Park.


• Friday, December 12
  5:00-8:00p.m. Park Lights & Light Show, Fire Pits, Hot Cocoa
  5:00p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Drop–in Santa’s Workshop & Live Reindeer – Memorial Building (Santa Claus invites you and your child (8 & under) to visit his local workshop on this special evening. Parent/child will be making toys, crafts and visiting with Santa himself. Bring your camera to take pictures. This workshop is presented by Recreation Services - Small Wonders Preschool. Please pre-register by calling 303-651-8404. Admission is Free)
  6:30p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Dance (Live Band) - Senior Center
  New in 2008 - Rose Garden Light Show - set to music!


• Saturday, December 13
  5:00-8:00p.m. Park Lights & Light Show, Fire Pits, Hot Cocoa
  5:00 p.m. Parade of Lights – Main Street & Coffman Street
  6:30p.m Fireworks off of the Memorial Building
  (700 Longs Peak Avenue)
  New in 2008 - Rose Garden Light Show - set to music!

Longmont's new recycling program

Do you love the new mixed recycling from the City of Longmont as much as I do? I know it's a small change but removing that center divider and changing from two lids to one is fantastic! I love the increased types of things you can recycle (cardboard, cereal boxes, more types of plastic, yay!) but the no sorting part just makes my life so much easier :) How do all feel about it? Are you recycling more now? I hope so!

Ice Pavilion opens Saturday!

I read the opening date for the outdoor ice rink a few weeks ago and thought it was impossible that the ice rink would be opening so soon since at the time I read it we still hadn't taken the winter coats out of the closet! It's true, though, the Longmont outdoor ice rink opens tomorrow, Saturday November 15th for the 2008-2009 season! Here are the details:

When: It's open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Longmont Ice Pavilion at Roosevelt Park, 725 Eighth Ave.
Cost: FREE (but only on Saturday)
More information: Call 303-774-4777 or visit www.ci.longmont.co.us/rec/icerink/index.htm

It's not too late to register for skating lessons or hockey! We're definitely looking forward to some family time out on the ice!