Well, hopefully you haven't been dealing with the wifi outages like I have…sat down to wrap this up last night and no dice, but here we are just a bit behind…
Quick recap: Taste of Douglas County was great to attend. I was blown away by how many people were there, and of course it was fun to run into some of you. A favorite: love me some Crave Real Burgers — they were handing out the Love Stinks, their garlic cream cheese, onion rings, candied bacon, roasted red pepper, onion, garlic mayo, ketchup and red pepper aioli burger…yum. One thing I do need to work on next year: instead of going in one loop, do two or three, and make it a rule to skip over any desserts the first go-around or two. Going from a Philly cheesesteak to a chocolate dessert, back to buffalo chicken, back to ice cream, and so on had my tastebuds quite confused. You live and you learn. Next year will be the 25th Taste of Douglas County — save the date, it'll be Thursday, August 19, 2027.
A Sanctuary in Sedalia
Sometimes you have those days.
Sometimes you have those weeks.
And sometimes you have them more often than not.
Well, if you need a place to get away from it all for a little bit, I've got the spot for you.
A Sanctuary Center is just a short drive from town, out where Wolfensberger meets 105. Just under four acres right there at the corner. Sue and Jack Pfeiffer started it in the early 2000s — it began with a friend's piece of land that was gifted, and the chapel went up three years after that. I was fortunate enough to randomly run into Sue there last week and got a few nice tidbits of information about the area. We were not alone during the hour that we were there after she left. One person showed up and parked the car to read with one leg out the driver's side window, and another looked like an adult father/daughter combo.
Here's the part I didn't know until I went digging. That corner has been pulling people in for a lot longer than Sue's been out there. A one-room schoolhouse went up on it in 1899 — Oakland School, its own little district, fifteen to twenty kids a year — and it ran until 1958. The building isn't even gone. The district hauled it into town, and it sits at South Ridge Elementary today as a museum. So Sue didn't really start something on that corner. She restarted it.
There's no distinct rhyme or reason to it all, at least not when I first got there. But it seems to function as a sort of refuge for those who seek to remember, who seek to reflect, and maybe even explore. This place is meant to be whatever it is that you need it to be. I saw things with different religious, spiritual, and other backgrounds. There's a chapel that's open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, and plenty of different outdoor areas for reflection, sitting peacefully, or trying to figure out what exactly it is that you're looking at. There were things from a labyrinth to wishing trees to different hexagon things — which turn out to be Platonic solids in a sacred geometry garden, along with a medicine wheel and a sundial. People drop personal notes, figurines, and other mementos all around. There are books that can be taken (borrowed) from the chapel, but they do ask for them to be returned so others might be able to enjoy the words upon the pages.
Jack is no longer with us, and Sue says that Magpie Art Center over in Sedalia is in place to take over the operations when she takes her next journey. She's enjoyed carving this corner over the years — what was once originally a friend's piece of land that didn't have much functional use has brought her great joy: acquiring it, imagining what it could become, creating and ideating with friends and family, and caretaking it through the years. She was cleaning up when we arrived, which shows her pride in the place. She understands its impact on those that she's been fortunate enough to run into throughout the years and hopes that its role will continue on for the years to come.
And here's the science behind it: I have no idea, but I'm sure you can figure it out if you find yourself in need of an extended moment of silence or reflection, a bit of rest or relief, or an excuse to explore something new, whether outside or within…
I hope you try it out someday. I hope it leaves you better than it found you, and that you leave it better than you found it.
More photos and the full backstory of that corner are here.
Paint Night at Wild Blue Yonder
After a successful paint and sip with Emma a few weeks ago where we had 23 amazing painters, we're teaming up with Emma Paints again for a hummingbird planter painting and mosaic night at Wild Blue Yonder Brewing. Emma walks the whole room through it step by step, so you don't need any experience — just show up, grab a craft beer, and make something you'll actually want to take home. All the materials are included, and it's a fun one for a date night, a girls' night, or a creative night out with friends or clients.
Wednesday, August 26, 6 to 9pm at Wild Blue Yonder.
Humane Colorado
My oh my, we've got some little (for now) Great Pyrenees puppies that have come to the Buddy Center. Francis and Dot are each going to need someone who can handle them going from 14 pounds to all ~100. Their brother Dr Soil has already gone home, so I can't imagine they'll be without one for long!
Francis, Dot, and Dr Soil
Wednesday, September 9 — two dinners, one night, both right here in Castle Rock.
Dinner Club is the one where you show up at 6:30pm and sit down with five neighbors you've never met. We do the matching and make the reservation, and the restaurant gets revealed the day of. You order off the menu and pay for your own food and drinks. Afterward we all spill over to Wild Blue Yonder for the after-party.
Use code SEAT5 for $5 off — grab a seat here.
Couples Dinner (55+) runs the same night if you'd rather bring your person. Same idea, different room. We're still locking in the restaurant, but should have one soon.
Use code COUPLES10 for $10 off — grab a table here.
Both codes expire Monday, August 31. Signups close Monday, September 7 at 6:30pm.
Sports
Broncos — Bo Nix is back. Friday was his first live action since he broke his right ankle against Buffalo in the playoffs seven months ago, and he looked like himself: 6 of 9 for 76 yards and a 21-yard touchdown to R.J. Harvey, two plays after finding new speedster Jaylen Waddle for 35. "It felt great," Nix said. "It was just like riding a bike; nothing really changed." The rest of the night was uglier. Green Bay won 33-13, snapping an eight-game preseason winning streak, and Sean Payton said he couldn't think of one area we outplayed them. Waddle's Broncos debut was one target, one catch, 35 yards. And if you were still holding out hope on a homecoming, Von Miller signed a one-year deal with Dallas on August 16. We host Minnesota Friday to close out the preseason, then open for real Monday, September 14 @ Kansas City.
Nuggets — Two moves worth knowing about. DeMar DeRozan is coming over on a one-year, $3.9 million deal — six-time All-Star, 16th on the all-time scoring list. And the Peyton Watson situation we mentioned last week finally resolved: he's headed to Cleveland in a five-team sign-and-trade that also sent Max Strus to the Clippers, with Denver picking up a pair of future draft picks.
Avalanche — Joe Sakic says he's confident they get Cale Makar locked up before the season starts, which is a better place than we were a week ago when there was nothing but silence. First preseason look is the Avs and the Mammoth at Ball Arena on Sunday, September 20.
Rockies — Rough one. That's six straight now: we dropped the last two to the Dodgers (7-6, then 6-4 in ten innings), got swept at home by Cleveland (9-1, 4-3, 7-2), and then opened the road trip in Washington last night with a 13-3 loss. The Nationals put up five in the fifth and never looked back. That puts us at 50-81 and still last in the NL West. Three more in Washington, then Atlanta on Friday.
Rapids — Split the week: beat LAFC 1-0 at home Wednesday, then lost 3-0 in San Diego on Saturday. Which is the whole season in two games, honestly — we're 7-3-0 at home and 2-8-1 on the road. That adds up to 9-11-1 and 28 points, seventh in the West. Saturday we host Real Salt Lake, who sit eighth on the same 28 points, at 9:30pm.
Summit FC — We lost 1-0 in Portland on Saturday, which drops us to 6-8-6 and 24 points, 12th in the NWSL. We host the Chicago Stars on Saturday at 8:45pm.
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Noteworthy
Stumpy's last day on Wilcox is tomorrow. Stumpy's Pizza has been a Castle Rock original for more than 25 years, and Rivers Church closing on the building means they have to leave 138 S. Wilcox. Wednesday, August 26 is the final day of service, and they open at 4pm. The good news: manager Gretchen Norton says they're trying to reopen somewhere else and that it'll "just take a few months." So this is a see-you-later, not a goodbye — but if you want one more from the Wilcox oven, tomorrow is it.
Your council member wants to hear from you Tuesday. District 4 Councilmember Mark Davis is holding an informal open house from 4 to 6pm Tuesday, August 25 at Cantril School, 312 Cantril St. It's aimed at folks living in central Castle Rock and downtown. No agenda, no presentation — just show up and talk.
Castle Rock Jobs
Looking for more? Every open job we track across the county lives at dougcosocial.com/jobs.
Best of Douglas County
Don't forget to get your vote in. You can always change it or add more as you try new places.
Tons of categories. Best burger, best green chile, best cinnamon roll, etc. Takes a minute or two. No wrong answers.
Events
Tuesday, 8/25:
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Castle Tour at Cherokee Ranch & Castle - 10:00am–11:30am - $21-$24
Pines Bar and Grill - Trivia Night - 6:00pm–8:00pm
105 West Brewing Company - Summer Beer Tasting at 105 West - 6:00pm–7:00pm - $20
The Stagecoach Saloon - Line Dancing with Joyce - 6:30pm–9:00pm
Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co. - Geeks Who Drink Classic Trivia - 7:00pm–9:00pm
The Whiskey Lodge - Tuesday Trivia at The Whiskey Lodge - 7:00pm–9:00pm
Wednesday, 8/26:
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Arts Afield 2026 at Cherokee Ranch - 8:30am–1:00pm - $39
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Castle Tour at Cherokee Ranch & Castle - 10:00am–11:30am - $21-$24
Magic Manor - Doug Davis: Music on the Patio at Magic Manor - 4:00pm–6:00pm
Wide Open Saloon - Bike Night feat. Hard 45 at Wide Open Saloon - 5:00pm–9:00pm
Savina's Mexican Kitchen - Savina's Summer Concert Series: Rhett Haney - 6:00pm–9:00pm
Alidade Brewing - Music Bingo - 6:00pm–8:00pm
Pines Bar and Grill - Karaoke Night - 6:00pm–9:00pm
Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co. - Hummingbird Planter Painting & Mosaic in Castle Rock - 6:00pm–9:00pm - $57.33
Downtown Castle Rock - Free Summer Trolley - 6:00pm–8:00pm
105 West Brewing Company - Trails & Ales Mountain Bike Ride at 105 West - 6:00pm–7:00pm
Sinners & Saints - Weekly Bingo at Sinners & Saints - 6:30pm–8:30pm
Festival Park - Jazz in the Park - 6:30pm–8:00pm
The Whiskey Lodge - Wednesday Bingo at The Whiskey Lodge - 6:30pm–8:30pm
Thursday, 8/27:
LaLa's Coffee & Boba - Pampas Fall Wreath Workshop at LaLa's - 11:00am–1:00pm - $45
RNK Running and Walking - Chog (Chill Jog) with RNK Running - 6:00pm–7:00pm
Wide Open Saloon - Thursday Line Dancing at Wide Open Saloon - 6:00pm–10:00pm
Crowfoot Valley Coffee & Crowbar - Trivia Night - 6:00pm–8:00pm
Alidade Brewing - Plant Bingo by Fun With Ferns - 6:00pm–7:00pm - $30
The Stagecoach Saloon - Trivia & Karaoke Night - 6:00pm–11:00pm
Pines Bar and Grill - Open Mic Night - 6:00pm–9:00pm
Bar Hummingbird - Castle Rock - Live Music at Bar Hummingbird - 6:00pm–10:00pm
105 West Brewing Company - Trivia Night at 105 West - 6:00pm–8:30pm
Sinners & Saints - Latin Night at Sinners & Saints - 7:00pm–10:00pm - $10-$15
The Whiskey Lodge - Free Whiskey Tasting & Poker Night at The Whiskey Lodge - 7:00pm–10:00pm
Friday, 8/28:
Miller Park Amphitheater - Fitness Fridays - 8:00am–9:00am
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Castle Tour at Cherokee Ranch & Castle - 10:00am–11:30am - $21-$24
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Afternoon Tea at the Castle - 1:00pm–3:00pm - $74.95
Pines Bar and Grill - Live Band - 6:00pm–9:00pm
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Whiskey Tasting: Wild World of Bourbon - 6:00pm–9:15pm - $86.95
Bar Hummingbird - Castle Rock - Live Music at Bar Hummingbird - 6:00pm–10:00pm
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Hike: Setting of the Sun & Rising of the Full Moon - 6:15pm–9:00pm - $40
Wide Open Saloon - Trouble Bound at Wide Open Saloon - 7:00pm–10:30pm
The Whiskey Lodge - Friday Karaoke at The Whiskey Lodge - 7:00pm–11:00pm
Sinners & Saints - Whiskey Sky — Live at the Altar - 8:00pm–11:00pm
Saturday, 8/29:
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Castle Tour at Cherokee Ranch & Castle - 10:00am–11:30am - $21-$24
Tony's Market - Castle Pines - Tony's Market Chile Roast - Castle Pines - 11:00am–3:00pm
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Afternoon Tea at the Castle - 1:00pm–3:00pm - $74.95
Outlets at Castle Rock - Rock the Mountain: Gone2Long at Outlets - 3:00pm–6:00pm
The Historic Maytag Ranch - Under a Wild Sky 2026 — Douglas Land Conservancy Fundraiser - 4:00pm–8:00pm - $175-$350
McAwesome Ranch - The 2026 Colorado Bluegrass Festival - 5:00pm–10:30pm - $47
Bar Hummingbird - Castle Rock - Live Music at Bar Hummingbird - 6:00pm–10:00pm
The Stagecoach Saloon - Walker Williams Live at The Stagecoach Saloon - 6:30pm–10:30pm
105 West Brewing Company - Live Music: Blues Frequency at 105 West - 6:30pm–9:30pm
Honnibrook Craft Meadery - Castle Rock: Mead & Magic - 7:00pm–9:00pm
Wide Open Saloon - Off Ramp at Wide Open Saloon - 7:00pm–10:30pm
The Whiskey Lodge - Saturday Live Music at The Whiskey Lodge - 7:00pm–10:00pm
Miller Park Amphitheater - Summer Concert Series: Still the Same — A Bob Seger Tribute with the Denver Pops Orchestra - 8:00pm–10:30pm - $34-$44
Sinners & Saints - Live DJ in the Lounge with ‘DJ Max’ - 9:00pm–11:59pm
Sunday, 8/30:
Lost Coffee - Lost Runners Run Club with RNK Running - 8:00am–9:30am
Miller Park Amphitheater - Sunday morning Yoga in the Park - 8:30am–9:30am
Festival Park - Festival Park Farmers Market - 9:00am–2:00pm
Alidade Brewing - Summer Bash to End ALS - 12:00pm–5:00pm
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Princess Party at the Castle - 1:30pm–3:30pm - $53.95
105 West Brewing Company - Live Music: Sarah P & the Dirty Logger at 105 West - 2:30pm–5:30pm
Outlets at Castle Rock - Rock the Mountain: 6202 Band at Outlets - 3:00pm–6:00pm
The Whiskey Lodge - Sunday Karaoke at The Whiskey Lodge - 6:00pm–9:00pm
Monday, 8/31:
Alidade Brewing - Mah Jongg Drop In at Alidade - 5:00pm–8:00pm
Festival Park - Monday evening Yoga in the Park - 6:30pm–7:30pm
The Whiskey Lodge - Monday Bingo at The Whiskey Lodge - 6:30pm–8:30pm
Looking for more? Every Douglas County event we track lives on our events calendar: dougcosocial.com/events.
Heads up on events that are further out:
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Murder & Mystery: Till Death Do Us Part - Fri 9/4, 6:00pm–9:15pm - $85.95
Wide Open Saloon - The Petty Nicks Experience & Disco Revue — Firefighters Benefit - Fri 9/4, 6:00pm–11:00pm - $33.85-$108.55
Denver Polo Club - Closing Weekend Polo Tailgate at Denver Polo Club - Sun 9/6, 10:00am–3:00pm - $28.52+
Cherokee Ranch & Castle - Sinatra Tribute Show LIVE at Cherokee Ranch - Fri 9/11, 6:00pm–9:30pm - $86.80
Douglas County Fairgrounds and Event Center - Douglas County Supercross - Sat 9/12, 3:00pm–10:00pm - $17.85-$60.54
Miller Park Amphitheater - Castle Rock Beer Fest Under the Stars 2026 - Sat 9/12, 4:00pm–9:00pm - $60-$90
Lost Canyon Ranch Open Space - Twilight on the Trails 2026 - Sat 9/12, 5:30pm–9:00pm - $75+
KB Ranch - Sunset Supper Club at KB Ranch - Wed 9/16, 6:30pm–9:30pm - $110
Miller Park Amphitheater - Tunes for Trails: Ninety% 90s - Thu 9/17, 6:30pm–9:00pm
Gilly's Pumpkin Patch - Gilly's Pumpkin Patch 2026 - Fri 9/25, 10:00am–dark - $5 individual / $20 family
Lone Creek Farms - Lone Creek Farms Fall Festival 2026 - Fri 9/25, 10:00am–7:00pm - $23.95-$27.95
Wide Open Saloon - Giovannie and The Hired Guns at Wide Open Saloon - Fri 9/25, 7:00pm–10:30pm - $28.52-$65.87
Denver Polo Club - Colorado Highland Games - Sat 9/26, 9:00am–5:00pm - $20-$45
Worth the drive: other Douglas County events can be found in our sister newsletter, DougCo Drop — subscribe below.
⚠️ Please verify event details and availability with the respective venues or organizers, as schedules may change.
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