University Center for the Arts in the old Fort Collins High School building at 1400 Remington Street, across from the CSU Flower Trial Garden. Kat Valdez/Diverse Fort Collins
by Kat Valdez/Diverse Fort Collins
I learned years ago that it’s a bummer to work on your birthday, so I’ve taken a vacation day on mine ever since.
It’s an opportunity to go for a hike, reflect on life, and feel gratitude for the people and things that make my life great.
Seven’s my lucky number, so I’d like to share seven things I’m grateful for — besides family and friends — about Fort Collins. There are dozens of others but I’ve got to keep this a manageable length so I can go out and hike, row and play tennis!
7. Debut Theatre Company for enjoyable, high-quality productions by talented young people. Buy tickets to their October play “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” at the Lincoln Center. And while you’re at it, check out tickets for “Hamlet’s Christmas Party.” One of my coworkers is making his Lincoln Center debut!
6. Pianos About Town for bringing local art and spontaneous music to Fort Collins streets. Thank you to Bohemian Foundation, Downtown Development Authority and City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places.
5. Old Town Square and the surrounding downtown neighborhood: for being a wonderful community gathering spot for free summer concerts, shops and restaurants, including three independent bookstores: Old Firehouse Books, Bookstore on the Square, and Cherry On Top Bookshop.
4. Marcuz Boba Tea Shop Filipino & International Restaurant for offering the comforts of home cooking from my mom’s birthplace, The Philippines. BTW if you ever get a chance to see the latest incarnation of David Bryne and Fatboy Slim’s musical “Here Lies Love” do it. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.
3. Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising, The Lincoln Center Art Gallery and Museum of Art Fort Collins for bringing thought-provoking visual art to our community.
2. The Lyric Cinema Cafe for being an inclusive and welcoming community hub that is wonderfully weird.
1. City of Fort Collins Natural Areas for giving us more than 100 miles of trail over more than 50 natural areas. How lucky are we?
In Memoriam
We lost a bright star this month. Rest in peace, Ally Eden, former poet laureate of Fort Collins and “…cherished friend, sister, daughter, poet, community member, and absolutely beloved wife of Alysia…”
Hobbies Spotlight
Did you know mahjong is alive and well in Northern Colorado? Check out these websites to help you get you started.
Riichi NoCo meets weekly at Stodgy Brewing and offers lessons (Sept. 16 and monthly) at Harmony Library.
“The home of riichi mahjong in Northern Colorado.”
Mahjong Social Club
“Learn and play in Fort Collins and Loveland. Choose your city to see beginner lessons, Social Club nights, and current local games.”
Business Spotlight
“Ibad Ahmed Khan is the founder of Peakxel Studio, a web design and technical SEO agency based in Fort Collins. Peakxel Studio builds fast, modern websites for small businesses across Fort Collins and Northern Colorado using Next.js, paired with local SEO strategies designed to help businesses actually get found on Google. Ibad works closely with each business owner to make sure their website isn’t just good-looking, but built to generate real, measurable leads.”
Fort Collins business owners, click here for more information.
Article: “Why Some Fort Collins Businesses Are Getting Found Online (and Others Aren’t)“
Excerpt: ” ‘Why does that guy show up before me? I’ve been in business longer. My website looks better.’
“That’s a question I hear constantly from Fort Collins small business owners trying to figure out local search engine optimization (SEO). Here’s the honest answer: getting found online in Fort Collins has almost nothing to do with how long you’ve been in business, and very little to do with how your website looks. It comes down to a small set of decisions — your Google Business Profile, local search consistency, website speed — that some Fort Collins businesses handle and others don’t even know exist.
“In this article, I walk through exactly what separates the Fort Collins businesses that show up on Google from the ones that stay invisible. Not theory — what I actually see, business by business, working in local SEO and web design here in Northern Colorado.”
September 2026 Community Events
Looking for free and low-cost inclusive community events this month? We’ve got you. Here are a few.
Through Dec. 13 “Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing” at Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, The Griffin Foundation Gallery, Co-curated by Andrea Lee Harris and Sadie Williams, 1400 Remington St. Donations welcome. Free
Excerpt: “Ralph Steadman is one of the most influential British graphic artists of the last 50 years. He is famous for his long collaboration with Hunter S. Thompson, notably illustrating Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which inspired two films in 1979 and 1998. With his international reputation, Steadman has attained a cult status and continues to influence artists from around the globe.
“…We are back with 138 original artworks and more. This enhanced new touring exhibition will take the viewer on a journey through Steadman’s prolific career of more than sixty years, from the sketches he created as a student in the 1950s to present-day artworks. At 87 years young, Ralph Steadman is still at the drawing desk throwing ink and making history.”
Through Sept 7 “Best Things To Do On Labor Day Weekend in Fort Collins” by Visit Fort Collins.
Sept. 10 Thursday Night Live concert “Chris Daniels & The Kings” in Old Town Square, 7 to 9 p.m. Free
Sept. 13 “Tell It Like It Was” storytelling workshop at Old Town Library facilitated by Mary Roberts. Registration required due to limited seating. Free
Sept. 16 “AI for Work: Create and Organize with Smart Tech” at Old Town Library. “Explore AI options to streamline your workflow, helping you brainstorm, write emails and reports, and create documents. We’ll look at several different AI platforms and try some projects to introduce you to AI capabilities and how they can help you in the workplace, school, or with projects.” Registration recommended. Free
Sept. 17 “Can the President Do That? Constitutional Checks and Balances” at Harmony Library. Sept. 17 is Constitution Day. Join Front Range Community College faculty member Jeff Borg to learn about historical and present-day constitutional checks and balances. Registration required. Free
Sept. 24 “Breaking Bread Around The World: Gimbap to K-Pop” fundraiser for Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures at Odell Wine Project. $150
Through Sept. 26 BIPOC Mercado by The BIPOC Alliance in the Oak Street Mall, 140 W. Oak St. Suite 150. “Shop local and support BIPOC small businesses, makers, artists, and entrepreneurs at this community Mercado in downtown Fort Collins.”
Sept. 30 “Reading Between the Headlines: A Conversation with Vanessa Otero” at Old Town Library. Otero is founder of the Media Bias Chart. Registration required. Free
Looking Ahead
Oct. 18 Open Streets, on Mason between Laurel and Shields, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vehicle-free fun for the whole family. Free
Oct. 18 Free 30-minute “Flash Story Lab” at 6 p.m. followed by Fort Stories storytelling event facilitated by Mary Roberts, theme: “Lean On Me,” 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., Visit Fort Collins, 7 Old Town Square, Suite 100. $5
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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