Lucile's is closing. I'll start there.

Also: I told you the TrailMark HOA meeting was Monday last week. It was Tuesday. Apologies if you drove to Falcon Bluffs the wrong night. I should've caught it in the audit and I didn't.

The weather flips this week. Warm sunny Friday and Saturday, showers Sunday afternoon, then Monday the high crashes from 75 to 52 and Monday night brings rain and snow showers. Tuesday stays cool at 55. May snow stays in the deck.

Faith in the Foothills, the church directory I've been promising since Issue #5, is at the bottom of this issue. Five churches, five styles. Worth the wait.

Lucile's Creole Cafe Riverfront is closing at the end of May, after 15 years at 2852 W. Bowles. Westword broke the story Tuesday. Lucile's was on a five-year lease with an option to extend, and missed the renewal deadline by a few months back in March. When the team asked for an extension, landlord DISH Network doubled the rent. When they asked to stay through June to find a new spot, DISH tripled it. Partner Brian Heilman: "They refused to work with us. We have employees with families and jobs, so we said we'd like to do the other five years, and they said no." The Littleton location opened in 2011, the original Boulder spot in 1980. Six of seven Lucile's locations remain after this one closes.

DISH has been quietly absorbing the corridor for years. In 2020 they took the Blind Faith brewery space next door and turned it into their "Office of Innovation." The parking lot is now half concrete barriers and lowered gates and "No Trespassing" signs. A DISH spokesperson told Westword the area is their "Santa Fe campus" and the space will be "repurposed to support our evolving business operations."

Heilman is publicly asking for help finding another Littleton location. "We've been there for fifteen years. We love the community. They've been awesome to us. We don't want to go. We'd love to stay. If anybody knows a good spot, let us know." Open through the end of May, 7 AM to 2 PM weekdays and 8 AM to 2 PM weekends. Phone 720-465-9908. Go this weekend if Lucile's is part of your life. In 2020 they reopened five months after closing. This time they're walking out with no lease lined up.

Sewer and stormwater rate study Part I went to council Tuesday. The 5/12 study session had three items on the agenda: the utility rate study, the 2026 charter-review ballot questions, and a joint study session with the South Metro Housing Options board. As of Thursday afternoon, the meeting minutes are still draft, the video isn't posted, and the official action field reads "Not available" for every item. Staff presented, council heard it, no votes were scheduled. The public meeting cycle still runs July through September. Council finalizes during the 2027 budget process, with new rates effective January 2027. The 25%/60% proposal numbers from last week haven't been revised in public record.

TrailMark update is quiet. The HOA Board hasn't posted a recap since Tuesday. Their pattern is to announce what's next instead, and the most recent post already books the July 14 board meeting. Separate from the HOA, the TrailMark Metropolitan District handles infrastructure and finance for the special district. They meet Tuesday May 19 at 6:30 PM at South Metro Fire Station 19, 8490 W TrailMark Parkway. If you want to plug into that side of the neighborhood, that's the door.

Saturday May 16 is a forced-pick day. Two events at 2 PM: Railroad Depot 150th Birthday Celebration at 5790 S Prince St (free, cake, historic coloring books) and Bemis hosts "Frida Kahlo: Queen of the Selfie" with Museo de las Américas in the Large Meeting Room. Pick one. Avenue Q at Town Hall Arts Center runs both a 2 PM matinee and a 7:30 PM evening show. Bemis Teen Laser Tag at 4:45 PM, grades 6-12 with permission form. Southwest Plaza Farmers Market 8 AM to 2 PM (week 3 of the season). Ken-Caryl Slash Event 9 AM. 80+ garage sales in the Roxborough community 7 AM to 2 PM if you don't mind a 15-minute drive south. A Peak Kia employee is also recruiting rescue partners on Facebook for a "Tacos, Tails & Test Drives" adoption event Saturday. Not officially announced by Peak Kia yet.

Sunday May 17. Avenue Q matinee 2 PM. Ken-Caryl Slash Event 9 AM. Storms likely in the afternoon. The C-470 Ken Caryl-to-Wadsworth resurfacing flips to its overnight phase tonight (see Good to Know below).

Monday May 18. Bemis Active Minds: Greenland at 2 PM in the Large Meeting Room. Baby Garden 10 AM. The cold front lands hard, high of 52 and showers all day.

Tuesday May 19. TrailMark Metropolitan District regular meeting, 6:30 PM at South Metro Fire Station 19. Bemis Virtual Author Talk at noon. Weather: high 55, showers and thunderstorms possible. Bring a jacket.

Wednesday May 20. Bemis Teen Art Lab "Bigger Bubble" 5:30 PM. Bemis Evening Book Club takes on Pelican Girls by Julia Malye at 6:30 PM. Pokémon GO Raid Hour at Clement Park skate park, 5:50 PM.

Saturday May 23. Avenue Q double, 2 PM matinee plus 7:30 PM. Southwest Plaza Farmers Market 8 AM to 2 PM. Ken-Caryl Slash 9 AM.

Sunday May 24. Avenue Q matinee 2 PM.

Monday May 25, Memorial Day. Bemis is closed. No Connect with City Council office hours this week.

Wednesday May 27. New: Bemis Dungeons & Dragons at 5 PM in the Large Meeting Room. First time on the calendar. Pokémon GO Raid Hour 5:50 PM at Clement Park.

Friday May 29. Connect with City Council office hours, 10 AM to noon at Bemis Study Room A.

Waterton Canyon is fully open weekday and weekend. Denver Water hasn't posted a new closure window. The Strontia Springs hydroelectric rebuild continues in the canyon with no closures anticipated. Project wraps early summer.

Clear Creek Canyon CCR Trailhead to Tunnel 1: closed Monday 5/11 through Friday 5/22 for trailhead and parking improvements.

Black Bear Trail: still closed through July 31 for raptor nesting. Hildebrand Ranch Two Brands NE: closed Monday through Thursday 8:30 AM to 4 PM through spring 2026. Beaver Ranch Park: new main trailhead construction continues.

New: e-bikes vs e-motos. Foothills Park & Recreation District clarified in late April that e-motorbikes and motorized vehicles are prohibited in all FPRD parks, trails, and properties. E-bikes (Class 1, 2, 3) follow standard trail rules. E-motorbikes (full-throttle, no pedaling) are not allowed. Worth knowing before someone rolls one onto the Bear Creek Lake trail and gets ticketed.

Stage 1 fire restrictions still in effect for unincorporated Jeffco. No active Red Flag Warnings in the 5/15-5/22 window, but the wet front Monday/Tuesday will reset everything. Recheck Friday morning if you've got fire plans.

C-470 Ken Caryl-to-Wadsworth resurfacing flips to overnight tonight. Daytime ramp closures at MP 14 end today (Friday). Starting Sunday May 17, crews work 8 PM to 6 AM Sundays through Thursdays. Expect single-lane closures, shoulder closures, periodic ramp closures, and reduced speeds. Project spans MP 9.74 to 14.16. Completion fall 2026. Hotline 303-943-1534.

Pier 7: CDOT's project page still hasn't been updated since February 18. The single lane closure on the WB C-470 off-ramp to NB Santa Fe stays in place. Phase 2 plans remain officially "still being finalized."

Manning / 1st Street Farms vote: council June 2. No new public action since Issue #5.

Drought / Stage 1 surcharge: no change. Watering two days per week before 10 AM or after 6 PM. Even-numbered addresses Sunday and Thursday, odd Wednesday and Saturday. May usage hits June bills.

Two clean data points this week. 6 Manzanita in Ken Caryl Valley closed Monday May 11 for $750,000 (4 bed / 3 bath, 2,717 sqft). Compare to 32 Manzanita closing April 24 for $900,000. Same street, seventeen days apart, $150,000 spread. Pure Ken Caryl Valley range in one block.

The high end this week was 27 Desert Willow Lane, closing Thursday May 14 for $1,450,000 (6 bed / 4 bath, 5,172 sqft, same neighborhood).

Market context (Redfin): 80127 median listing is $675,000. 81 homes sold in 80127 in the past month. Average 34 days on market, 4 offers per sale.

Friday (today): mostly sunny, high 82, 20% chance of showers after noon. Saturday: mostly sunny, 79, 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 4 PM. Sunday: partly sunny, 75, showers likely after noon, a thunderstorm possible. Monday: showers and possibly a thunderstorm, high 52, breezy, 80% chance of rain. Monday night brings rain showers, then a chance of rain and snow showers, thunder possible, low 34. Tuesday: chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon, partly sunny, high 55. Wednesday: chance of showers and thunderstorms, partly sunny, 65. The summer pattern resumes next weekend.

If you're growing anything tender in the yard, cover it Monday night.

Faith in the Foothills. Five churches in or near 80127, recommended by readers. Not ranked and not exhaustive. Just five honest descriptions to help if you're looking.

Abiding Hope Church. 6337 S Robb Way, Littleton 80127. ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). Saturday 5:30 PM, Sunday 8:15 and 10:30 AM. Tagline "All means ALL," with explicit welcome to LGBTQ+ neighbors, all political affiliations, anyone who's been told they don't fit somewhere else. Also runs a Preschool & Kindergarten plus a separate nature-based preschool up Simms (their Nature School). Phone 303-972-1283.

Mission Hills Church. 620 SouthPark Dr, Littleton 80120. The large-and-established slot. Four campuses (Littleton, Castle Rock, Español, North Littleton). Lead Pastor Craig Smith holds a PhD in New Testament from Bristol University. Saturday 5 PM, Sunday 8, 9:15, and 11 AM. Tagline "Real. Messy. New." Programs for every life stage including a substantial student ministry. Main office 303-794-3564.

Colorado Church. 3000 S Wadsworth Blvd, Denver 80227 (just over the Wadsworth line from the foothills). Lead Pastor Evan Martin. Sundays 9 and 10:45 AM. Around ten years old, contemporary worship, non-denominational. Smaller congregation, the "you'll get to know people" slot. Phone (720) 640-1222.

Rockland Community Church. 17 S Mt Vernon Country Club Road, Golden. A mix of traditional and contemporary worship. Sundays 9 and 10:30 AM. About 20-25 minutes from Ken Caryl, but if a historic mountain sanctuary is your thing, worth the drive. Phone 303-526-0668.

The Bridge Church at Bear Creek. 3101 S Kipling St, Lakewood 80227, next to Bear Creek High School. Sundays 8:45 and 10:30 AM. Front Porch Coffee Shop runs on-site as a ministry of the church, open most days of the week. Around 10-15 minutes north of Ken Caryl via Kipling. If you're not ready to commit on a Sunday morning, the coffee shop is a low-stakes way to walk in. Phone 303-986-5511.

If your church belongs on this list and isn't yet, hit reply and tell me what's special about it. I'm building the directory the same way Hogback Post got built: one reader recommendation at a time.

A quick housekeeping note before I let you go.

The referral program continues, and the first three-referral milestone landed this week. Stickers are still in production but the Foothills Cheat Sheet PDF is sending instantly when you cross the one-referral mark. If you've forwarded this newsletter to a neighbor and they signed up, that counts. Thanks.

Your personal referral link: {{rp_refer_url_no_params}}

Hit reply with thoughts on Lucile's, the directory, or anything you'd like covered next. I read everything.

Joey

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