Jeffco Transcript

Heritage Lakewood is celebrating 50 years with a day full of festivities on Aug. 1. Heritage Lakewood has worn several hats — and several names — over the 50 years since it opened its doors in 1976. Soon, the museum will wear a party hat to celebrate the half-century since it first opened. On Aug. 1, also known as Colorado Day, the museum will host a celebration from 4 to 8 p.m., filled with historic festivities to commemorate the semi-centennial.

The Colorado Gives Foundation is encouraging Coloradans to celebrate their state’s 150th anniversary by giving back. On Aug. 1, Colorado will be celebrating 150 years as the centennial state. Throughout the state’s history, Coloradans have lent each other a helping hand when times got tough — a trend that the Colorado Gives Foundation is continuing to see rise.

Phil Weiser’s running mate is Lesley Dahlkemper. Colorado Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Weiser has picked a running mate who will be familiar to folks from Jefferson County: Lesley Dahlkemper, who serves on the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and previously served on the Jeffco School Board. Weiser — the current Colorado Attorney General — announced his pick on July 22.

Rising junior Kaiden Spindle was the only athlete from Jeffco Schools to compete at the USA High School Clay Target League National Championship. While many high schoolers have spent the summer catching up on sleep or hanging out with friends, Kaiden Spindle has been hard at work. The rising junior has spent his school break working hard, spending hours practicing each week — work that paid off when Kaiden represented his school at the USA High School Clay Target League National Championship.

Jim Roome On Fridays, my aquatic exercise class is at a pool in the Athmar Rec Center. The pool starts at 3 feet and drops to 9 feet. It is a regulation racing-length pool with the typical black lines marking the lanes along the bottom. I love this space because of the exercises that I can do there. For the workout, I grab a float belt and two water dumbbells. With the belt around my waist and the dumbbells under each armpit, I start at the 3-foot end and walk toward the deep end.

Clarke Reader Creating a creative hub is no easy feat. It takes time, work and a lot of community buy-in. The 40 West Arts district, located along West Colfax in Lakewood, has had all three for more than a decade, and is continuing to see steady advancement.

The 60-foot-tall Lookout Tower looms over Water World. The new attraction is the highest point in the park. Longtime patrons and newcomers to Water World in Federal Heights were suitably impressed June 16 with new additions to Colorado’s first and largest water park. Annette Lavino and daughter Nina Cala were especially attracted to the 60-foot-tall “Lookout Tower”, the highest point in the water park and a key feature of Water World’s 2.5-acre Summit Canyon.

Footers Catering won top honors at Taste of Arvada. Each year, hundreds of Arvadans congregate at the Apex Center to sample some of the best bites and sips from restaurants around town at Taste of Arvada, an annual culinary celebration hosted by the Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Jenny Hager (left) helps coach Chatfield High School’s volleyball team. Hager was a coach at Chatfield for several years before becoming Evergreen’s head volleyball coach in 2026. Evergreen High School has chosen a new head volleyball coach in Jenny Hager, a Littleton native and Chatfield High School graduate with years of coaching experience at her alma mater.

A helicopter takes to the sky to drop a load of water on a mountain fire in 2025. They are two questions Clear Creek Fire Authority Chief Jeremy Jones and Evergreen Fire/Rescue Public Information Officer Einar Jensen want mountain residents to know the answers to during this wildfire season: “What if”? and “Who’s on your team”? Most mountain residents of tenure understand the perils and preparations of fire season at altitude.