Last weekend everything collided. This one is better organized: one big Saturday race, one Oktoberfest, and a ranch that throws a party Saturday and a different one Sunday. Per the National Weather Service forecast for Castle Rock issued at 7:53 a.m. on Thursday, October 1, Friday is "Sunny, with a high near 76" with afternoon wind of 15 to 20 mph gusting to 29, Saturday is "Sunny, with a high near 82," and Sunday is "Sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy." Lows near 48 to 50. Friday's wind is the only thing to dress for.
Friday
Lone Creek Farms in Franktown turns on Harvest Glow Nights, the new light show of glowing character cutouts, included with admission Friday through Sunday nights starting October 2, not offered Thursdays. That changes the math on a $27.95 ticket: last weekend you paid full price for a daytime farm, and now the evening is in the deal. The farm runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Gilly's, the small patch on an 1889 homestead at 1433 Lake Gulch Road, opens for its second of three weekends, Friday and Saturday only, 10 until dark, $5 a person or $20 a family. In Parker, the Senior Center's 5th Annual Craft Fair runs 9 to 3 both Friday and Saturday at 10675 Longs Way, free.
Our pick, Friday: Lone Creek after dinner. Get there by 6 and stay for the lights.
Lone Creek Farms: Harvest Glow Nights Begin
Gilly's Pumpkin Patch: Second Weekend
5th Annual Craft Fair
Saturday
The Castle Rock Trail Festival takes over Philip S. Miller Park, 1375 West Plum Creek Parkway: packet pickup and day-of registration from 6 a.m., 50K at 7:30, half marathon at 8:30, 10K at 9, 5K at 9:30, liveBIG Family Adventure Run at 10:30. Entries run $20 for the family run up to $95 for the 50K. The family run is the one for kids, and 10:30 is civilized.
Then Lone Tree Oktoberfest at Schweiger Ranch, 10822 S. Havana St., 2:30 to 6:30. Entry is free. Beer is not: $36 for unlimited sampling, $26 for a mug package with two beers, $10 a token after that. Park at the RTD RidgeGate Park and Ride directly across from the ranch, also an E or R Line stop, with golf carts shuttling anyone who needs help. Given a beer package, the train is the better call.
Prefer to run trails than drink on them: HRCA Wildcat Mountain Trail Races leave Rocky Heights Middle School, 11033 Monarch Blvd., 10-miler at 8, 10K at 8:30, kids' race at 10:30, $80, $70 and $10. OUTLAST Denver, the six-hour "5K every hour, on the hour" at 11500 N. Roxborough Park Road, is full, waiting list only.
Quietest thing on the schedule, and maybe the best: the annual walking tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery, 880 E. Wolfensberger Rd., 4 to 5 p.m., free, no reservations.
Our pick, Saturday: Family Adventure Run at 10:30, then the cemetery tour at 4. They bracket the day.
Castle Rock Trail Festival and liveBIG Family Adventure Run
Lone Tree Oktoberfest
HRCA Wildcat Mountain Trail Races
Annual Walking Tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery
5th Annual Craft Fair
Sunday
Back to Schweiger Ranch, which earns the weekend. The City of Lone Tree Fall Festival runs 11 to 3, free: pumpkin patch, petting zoo, vendor tents, food trucks, live music, games, self-guided tours of the house, plus story times with marshmallow roasting. One warning that matters. Wagon-ride pre-registration is sold out. The city says standby opportunities may be available on the day with no guarantees, so treat a wagon ride as a maybe, not a plan. Same RTD lot for parking.
Elsewhere Sunday: the Festival Park Farmers Market, 9 to 2, free, dozens of vendors at 300 Second St. in Castle Rock. The Indian Folk Culture and Food Festival lands at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Event Center with street food, live cooking, music and performances; the county page lists no admission price, so check first. And the Bad Moms of Parker put on a non-timed Domestic Violence Awareness 5K at Tallman Meadow Park, 7:30 a.m., $35.
Our pick, Sunday: Schweiger Ranch at 11. Arrive early, skip the wagon line, take the house tour.
City of Lone Tree Fall Festival at Schweiger Ranch
Festival Park Farmers Market
Indian Folk Culture and Food Festival
Domestic Violence Awareness 5K Fun Run
Still on
Restaurant Week runs October 2 to 11 in downtown Castle Rock, 24 venues each building a special item that is not on the normal menu. Neither the Town nor the Downtown Castle Rock page publishes prices, so watch each restaurant's social feeds and pick a target.
The Denver Botanic Gardens corn maze at Chatfield Farms, 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton, runs Fridays through Sundays through November 1, 9 to 5, last entry 5 and the site closes at 6. Buy online; tickets are not sold onsite. Season roundups: our pumpkin patch and corn maze guide, our fall festivals guide, and our fall colors guide.
Tonight rather than the weekend: Ghostly Stories and Tragic Tales of Castle Rock, a downtown walking tour from the Castle Rock Museum, 420 Elbert St., 7 p.m., free, donations encouraged, registration required. It repeats October 7, 8, 14, 21, 22, 28 and 29.
Restaurant Week
Corn Maze at Chatfield Farms
Election note
Ballots for the November 3 general election start going out Friday, October 2, mailed to every active registered voter in Douglas County. The county's 23 ballot drop boxes are open from October 2 through 7 p.m. on Election Day, 24 hours a day and each under video surveillance, and 23 Voter Service and Polling Centers open in three phases starting October 19. Our drop box guide has the locations. Do not let the envelope sit on the counter.
We'll see you out there. If we missed something that belongs in next week's drop, the address is on the About page.
Places mentioned
Philip S. Miller Park
320-are public park with a trail network, adventure playground & picnic area with shelters.
Festival Park
This scenic community area features an amphitheater, picnic pavilion & paved walking trails.