Photo of Horsetooth Reservoir from Arthur’s Rock in Lory State Park looking northeast on July 25 by Kat Valdez/Diverse Fort Collins. All rights reserved (c) 2026
by Kat Valdez/Diverse Fort Collins
For my “15 Years of Liberation” event this month, I gathered with friends to celebrate all the ways I’ve changed my life for the better since leaving an abusive marriage.
Fifteen years ago, I had no friends, a job I hated, and a husband who isolated me from my family and controlled every aspect of my life. I was totally alone.
Today, I’m close to my family, have great friends who share my interests in writing, reading, movies, music, art, hiking, tennis and rowing. I have the best boss and coworkers, some of whom have become close buddies over 12 years.
I’m so fortunate to be where I am today.
I’ve lived in Fort Collins for nearly 25 years but really didn’t begin enjoying life until August 2011. In honor of this milestone, I’d like to give a shout out to my sister, who believed and supported me; to the local nonprofit Crossroads Safehouse, who connected me with a compassionate advocate; and to the local counselor who told me, “He’s never going to change. You need to leave” and helped me plan every detail of my escape. (I could write my own version of Sleeping With The Enemy but that’s another story for another time.)
From the Crossroads Safehouse website: “Crossroads Safehouse & Services is here to help. Domestic violence includes many forms of abuse, not just physical.” “Domestic violence is abuse that may include physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, economic and psychological patterns in which the abuser’s conscious or unconscious goal is to gain or maintain control over the victim. Not all forms of domestic violence are against the law, and there are not always physical signs of abuse.“
From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “Intimate Partner Violence is common. It affects millions of people in the United States each year. More than 1 in 3 women (nearly 43.5 million) and more than 1 in 6 men (20.7 million) experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetimes.”
Call 888-541-SAFE (7233) if you live in the Fort Collins area or the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-SAFE (7233).
Film Spotlight
Code for the People: A Film by Bao Nguyen (Full Documentary: 20 minutes) Free
“The open web is arguably the world’s most vital invisible utility–and it is under siege.
“We have traded a free internet for a collection of walled gardens. Today, a handful of digital landlords use algorithms to dictate our reality, while closed AI threatens to change the ways we connect. We are at a breaking point: we can either let gatekeepers continue to consolidate their power, or we can reclaim the open source spirit that built the web in the first place.
“The future of the internet is being decided right now and it needs our help.
“From acclaimed director Bao Nguyen (BTS, Be Water, The Greatest Night in Pop), Code for the People is a documentary short exploring the past, present, and contested future of the open web…”
Business Spotlight
ARTSourceNOCO: A Guide to the Arts & Hospitality in Northern Colorado
Full Circle Creative, publishers of ARTSourceNoCO
“Since 1999, Full Circle Creative has told the unique story for our clients through imagery, design, video, and words.
“See examples on the website “that highlight our craft: corporate identity design (brand); print collateral; dynamic custom websites; photography; videography—all built to address our client’s specific needs.”
August 2026 Community Events
Looking for inclusive events in and around Fort Collins? We’ve got you. Here are a few.
July 31 – Aug. 4 Larimer County Fair & Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association (PRCA) Rodeo at The Ranch, Loveland. Free parking and admission
Aug. 2 Artist Kristin Savage curated “The Art of Impact” show with 55 artworks, 18 artists, and one poet all sharing their ideas about environmental sustainability.
Through painting, sculpture, collage, upcycled denim, visible mending, artwork utilizing reclaimed materials diverted from the waste stream, and ceramics using locally sourced slip from the Horsetooth Reservoir — the exhibit invites visitors to reflect on the past, engage with the present, and imagine what comes next.
On view at the Center for Creativity, 200 Matthews St., through Aug. 2 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free
Aug. 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 19, 20 Magic Rat Live Music, The Elizabeth Hotel. Free
Aug. 7 Film Showcase and Industry Talk, in conjunction with the 53:14 Music Video Experiment, during First Friday Art Walk. “We hope all our friends, supporters, film enthusiasts, and music community will join us as we celebrate nine years of 53:14 with a special screening of music videos from years of the festival. The evening is a great opportunity to mingle with filmmakers and industry professionals.” At Visit Fort Collins, 1 Old Town Square, #107, 6 p.m. Free
Aug. 20-22 Emil Wakim, the first Lebanese American cast member of Saturday Night Live at The Comedy Fort, 6 p.m. (Sold Out) and 8:30 p.m. $23
“Emil Wakim is a stand up comedian, writer, and actor based in Brooklyn, New York. Emil made history as the first Lebanese-American cast member of Saturday Night Live, where his stand-out Weekend Update appearances earned him international acclaim during SNL’s milestone 50th season. Emil has also been seen on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Don’t Tell Comedy, and Comedy Central. He was selected as a New Face of Comedy at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and was named one of Vulture’s Comedians You Should and Will Know.”
Aug. 21 through Sept 5 Textured Stories art exhibit at Cornerstone Gallery, Masonic Event Center.
“We hope you can join us during these last few weeks of summer for the remaining special events celebrating our exhibiting artists, fiber artist Hannah Cross and jewelry designer Alex Reynolds and their exhibition, Textured Stories. Free
“Closing Reception, Sept. 5, 6 to 9 p.m. In Textured Stories, the artists ask, “What might beauty look like when materials are chosen with care and made to last?” Through natural fibers, precious metals, and gemstones, the artists explore how the materials we choose shape the objects we live with, wear, and value.
“Bringing together Cross’s textured fiber work and Reynolds’s story-driven jewelry design, the exhibition considers how beauty can be created with greater attention to process, sustainability, and longevity. Together, their work invites viewers to uncoil and reweave their relationship with materials: where they come from, how they are transformed, and what it means to create art with durability, intention, and hope in mind.
“Cornerstone Gallery is open to the public on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from Noon to 4 p.m. During this first exhibition season, 100% of sales will go directly to the exhibiting artists.”
Aug. 24 through Aug. 29 The first Fat Marmot Week. Rocky Mountain PBS article: “Colorado scientists announce Fat Marmot Week.“
Excerpt: “Marmot scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory announced the first-ever Fat Marmot Week, taking place Aug. 24-29. Similar to the famous Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park and Preserve, the scientists in Gothic, Colorado, are inviting the public to vote for their favorite marmot in a bracket-style showdown.
“Marmots — the largest member of the squirrel family — can put on up to three times their body weight in summer before hibernating for five months.
“It’s fun to root for the chunkiest marmot, but behind the fun and games is a deathly serious competition against nature to pile on fat to survive the long, cold winter,” Dan Blumstein, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at University of California Los Angeles, said in a July 27 press release. “Importantly, marmots give us a window on the health of high-alpine ecosystems.”
Aug. 28 Sammy Anzer at The Comedy Fort, 8:30 p.m., $17
“Sammy Anzer is an educated street boy turned comedian that uses his multi-racial background to examine America. Rooster magazine says, “Anzer’s performances blend joy with contemplation, and his insightful societal commentary inspires reflection and lifts up the room.” He has performed alongside D.L. Hughley, Maria Bamford, Fahim Anwar, and Neal Brennan; written for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network; and caught ZIWE’s interest for an interview. Recently, he was named a Breakout Comedian of the Year in a competition hosted by Deon Cole, his debut album hit #1 on iTunes, he made his debut at The Apollo; and he’s appeared on PBS Roots of Comedy, Funny or Die, and SiriusXM. Sammy’s proud to have used comedy to raise $20,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital and at the end of it all, Sammy has a simple goal: making people laugh and changing the world.”
Aug. 29 The Fort Collins Foothills and Downtown Rotary Club Duck Race, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at City Park Pool Lazy River. Food trucks and live music. Adopt a duck to benefit your favorite local nonprofit!
Aug. 30 “The Gadfly: True Stories & Stand-Up Philosophy is for thoughtful people who love to laugh, especially as we grapple with the complex conditions of our existence. While not exactly a philosophy talk or improv, expect room for questions, discussion, and crowd work. These events are unique and engaging! Far from a tight five, the main goal isn’t punchlines to get big laughs. The point is to make telling the truth a good time.” 5:30 to 7 p.m., Speak Cheesy Lounge in the basement of Slyce Pizza. $10 suggested donation
Aug. 31 at The Lyric Cinema Cafe, 7:30 p.m., outdoor screen. Advance screening of The Weight, starring Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe and Julia Jones. $12 adults, $10 seniors.
Logline: “Desperate to save what is left of his family, during the height of the Great Depression a battle-scarred veteran is hired to help smuggle a fortune in gold across 100 miles of impenetrable wilderness.”
From the Aug. 19 enewsletter of The Lyric. Excerpt: “…I don’t know if you’ve heard, but The Sundance Film Festival is headed to Boulder next year, and I’ll tell you what, it’s the talk of the movie theater business here in Colorado. So much so that I’ve been meeting with various Sundance representatives and staff to see if we can’t host some kind of screening up here in old Fort Collins. As a card carrying skeptic and order of Cynics United America, I figured they would have there plate full for at least a few years before they worked their way up to Fort Collins, and were just trying to be nice to me. Well, lo and behold, I got an email from one of their registered “cool cats” asking if I wanted to host an Advance Screening of The Weight, Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe’s new film, which opened to rave reviews this year at Sundance, I nearly fell out of my seat. I typically don’t get a film until a week or two AFTER it opens, so to get a screening three weeks BEFORE the opening is unheard of. I tongue-in-cheek asked if they could get Ethan Hawke to come to the screening, to which they said no, but they could get the director. That, dear reader, is when I actually fell out of my seat! So come to our exclusive ADVANCE SCREENING OF THE WEIGHT with director Padraic McKinley and actor Julia Jones in attendance on Aug 31…We will be showing it on the outdoor screen…”
Year-round Chapungu Sculpture Park, McWinney-Hahn Sculpture Park, Foote Lagoon/Civic Center/Downtown, Benson Sculpture Garden. City of Loveland, Art in Public Places. Free
Event Calendars
https://www.rbarfc.com/
https://oldfirehousebooks.com/events/calendar/2025
https://artmuseum.colostate.edu/programs/
https://moafc.org/moafc-events/
https://www.lyriccinema.com/upcoming
https://bandwagmag.com/
https://downtownfortcollins.com/
https://focoma.org/directory/media-resources
https://www.fortcollins.gov/Events/Event-Calendar
https://www.larimer.gov/events
https://www.visitftcollins.com/
https://www.wolverinefarm.org/events/
https://poudrelibraries.librarycalendar.com/events/month
https://www.culturecurrentmag.com/
https://www.dfccd.org/
https://artsourcecolorado.com/
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