Golden Parks and Recreation National Gold Medal Award Winner

Golden History Museums, part of the City of Golden’s Parks and Recreation Department, is proud to celebrate a recent national award. Here’s the official press release:

Golden Parks and Recreation National Gold Medal Award Winner

Minneapolis, MN., Oct. 27, 2010 – The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), announced the City of Golden Parks and Recreation Department the Grand Plaque Recipient of the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management. The award was announced live during NRPA’s Annual Congress and Exposition in Minneapolis, MN. Golden was nominated as a finalist for the award for the second consecutive year.

The Gold Medal Award honors communities throughout the United States that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition. Each agency is judged on its ability to address the needs of those it serves through the collective energies of citizens, staff and elected officials.

“The Golden Medal Award recognizes our department as one of the top four national leaders in the provision of high quality parks and recreation, the highest honor in the parks and recreation profession,” said Rod Tarullo, Director of Parks, Recreation and Golf.

A requirement for finalists, the Golden Parks and Recreation Department submitted a video demonstrating parks and recreation in Golden.


Golden competed for the Gold Medal Award with three other finalists in population category 25,000 and below including the City of Green River Parks and Recreation Department, WY, the City of Fairfax, VA and the City of Cullman Parks and Recreation, AL.

Watch the video here:

Local History, Local Historians

The thing that makes local history interesting is not just the stories that are told, but the people who tell them. This fall, GHM has been proud to welcome five local historians and collectors to talk with audiences at our new Live at Lunch lecture series. The series kicked off on September 29^th with a presentation by local historians (and beloved community members) Lorraine Wagenbach and Betty Bloom. Together, they shared excerpts from their newly re-released book “A Woman’s Life in Golden.” The book—a project of the Golden Delphian Society and originally printed in 1980—features 27 stories by women who called Golden home between 1902 and 1980. Bloom and Wagenbach, the only two surviving contributors in Golden, read some of their favorite touching and humorous excerpts from the book to an audience of nearly 80 people.

The second week was a presentation by local historian and antique dealer, Heather Eckles, about the highly collectable Coors Pottery. She spoke at length about the many unique items that were made here in Golden, specifically the colorful and whimsical “Rosebud Pottery” that was prescient of the better known Fiesta Ware. Last Wednesday, historian and retired sheriff Dennis Potter (and also terrific storyteller) talked about the history of law enforcement in Jefferson County—an enormous and largely lawless territory. He went into great detail about a chilling string of murders that took place in Golden starting in 1868 and claimed nearly 11 lives. Evidence that Potter has collected points to a perpetrator who, although never caught or identified, might well have been the first documented serial killer in world history.

Two more lectures remain. Today, noted local historian Richard Gardener speaks about the popular Foss Ski Country decanters, a highly collectable series of whisky containers made in Golden. Our Live at Lunch lecture series some to a conclusion next week with
John Kellenbenz who will speak about the development of the Golden Fire Department—an indispensable force for any frontier community.

All lectures take place at the Golden History Center. Advance tickets on sale at the Golden History Center; $3 members, $6 nonmembers, includes free admission to museums. Please feel free to bring your own lunch. Reservations are not required, but we recommend purchasing tickets in advance due to limited seating.

We look forward to seeing you there!