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- DougCo Drop – Dec 24th – $120M monastery, drone shows, and more
DougCo Drop – Dec 24th – $120M monastery, drone shows, and more
$120M monastery, drone shows, and more
Connor Tien
December 24, 2025
It’s beginning to look a lot like it’s not Christmas…hoping the forecast is right and we actually get some snow on Saturday, but in the meantime I guess I’ll open presents in a shirt and shorts. Maybe I’ll swap a Christmas movie for the new Elway documentary that just came out on Netflix.
Gif by SkyTV on Giphy
Saddle Up
🎤 Music & Concerts
🎤 90's Til Dawn
📅 Date: Friday, December 26 & Saturday, December 27
⏰ Time: 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM
📍 Location: Tailgate Tavern & Grill, Parker
🎤 Detail: Relive the golden age of alt-rock and pop-punk with 90’s Til Dawn!
🎤 Gritty Velvet
📅 Date: Friday, December 26
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
📍 Location: Pines Bar & Grill, Castle Pines
🎤 Detail: Get ready for a high‑energy night as Gritty Velvet returns to Pines Bar & Grill in Castle Pines!
🎤 Orchard Road
📅 Date: Friday, December 26
⏰ Time: 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM
📍 Location: Takoda Tavern, Parker
🎤 Detail: Close out the holiday week with a night of music and community as Orchard Road returns to the stage!
🎤 Teenage Wasteland w/ Zeppelin Alive
📅 Date: Friday, December 26
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Wild Goose Saloon, Parker
🎤 Detail: Get ready for a powerhouse double bill!
🎤 Untethered
📅 Date: Saturday, December 27
⏰ Time: 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM
📍 Location: Takoda Tavern, Parker
🎤 Detail: Get ready for a high‑energy night as Untethered returns to the stage!
🎤 Renegade
📅 Date: Saturday, December 27
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Wild Goose Saloon, Parker
🎤 Detail: Come ready for soaring vocals, driving riffs, and a crowd that knows how to party. This is one show you won’t want to miss!
🎤 Two Guys Company
📅 Date: Sunday, December 28
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
📍 Location: The Studio @ Mainstreet, Parker
🎤 Detail: Spend your Sunday afternoon with the sounds of Two Guys Company live at The Studio!
🎤 Starburn
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 9:00 PM
📍 Location: Takoda Tavern, Parker
🎤 Detail: Celebrate the holiday with great tunes, festive vibes, and community spirit all at no cost.
🎹 NYE Party Featuring Dueling Pianos
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM
📍 Location: Wide Open Saloon, Sedalia
🎹 Detail: Expect high-energy music, hilarious banter, and nonstop fun as two pianists battle it out with your favorite songs.
🎼 New Year's Eve w/ Ninety Percent 90s & Glitter in the Air
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Wild Goose Saloon, Parker
🎼 Detail: Featuring Glitter in the Air: The Ultimate P!NK Experience and Ninety Percent 90’s, this bash promises unforgettable performances, dancing, and celebration.
🎤 Guild of Ages
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM
📍 Location: Tailgate Tavern & Grill, Parker
🎤 Detail: Get ready to rock with Danny Martinez, Anthony “Antz” Trujillo, James Lostetter, and Steve Stuntz as Guild of Ages brings their high‑energy sound to the stage!
👨👩👧👦 Family
🍹 Noon Year’s Eve Party
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 11:00 AM - 12:02 PM
📍 Location: Sterling Center, Sterling Ranch
🍹 Detail: Skip the late-night countdown and celebrate the New Year at lunchtime!
🎆 New Year's Eve, Drone Show
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Echo Park Stadium, Parker
🎆 Detail: This family‑friendly celebration offers a quieter alternative to fireworks perfect for Veterans, kids, and pets.
🍹 Nightlife & Entertainment
🎆 New Year’s Eve Bash 2026
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Meadows Banquet & Event Center, Lone Tree
🎆 Detail: With complimentary drinks, great vibes, and an electrifying atmosphere, it’s the perfect way to welcome 2026 in style with your loved ones.
🎆 New Year’s Eve Dance Party @ Sinners & Saints
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM
📍 Location: Sinners & Saints, Castle Rock
🎆 Detail: Join us for an unforgettable night featuring exclusive food and drink specials and a high‑energy DJ Party that will keep you dancing straight into the New Year.
🎆 2026 New Year’s Party
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 31
⏰ Time: 9:30 PM
📍 Location: Pines Bar & Grill, Castle Pines
🎆 Detail: The party kicks off at 9:30 PM, so gather your crew and get ready to welcome 2026 with a bang!
🎤 Myxed Trivia & Karaoke Tuesdays
📅 Date: Tuesday, December 23
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
📍 Location: Wild Goose Saloon, Parker
🎤 Detail: Trivia night just got smarter and easier! With Myxed Trivia, you play entirely on your phone, so you never have to put down your drink or step away from the food.
🏔️ On the Horizon
🎤 Eric Golden
📅 Date: Friday, January 2
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Wild Goose Saloon, Parker
🎤 Detail: Catch local favorite Eric Golden live at the Wild Goose for a night of high‑energy music and community vibes!
🎤 Guild of Ages
📅 Date: Friday, January 2 - Saturday, January 3
⏰ Time: 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM
📍 Location: Tailgate Tavern & Grill, Parker
🎤 Detail: This free show promises a weekend of dancing, rockin’, and rollin’ with one of Colorado’s favorite bands.
🎤 Tots & Tunes
📅 Date: Thursday, January 8
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
📍 Location: Southridge Rec Center, Highlands Ranch
🎤 Detail: Bring the kids for a morning of music, movement, and fun at the Southridge Rec Center.
🚗 Worth the Drive
🎄 Trail of Lights
📅 Date: Friday, November 21 - Sunday, January 11 (closed Nov. 27 & Dec. 25)
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
📍 Location: Chatfield Farms, Littleton
🎄 Detail: Experience Colorado’s countryside aglow this holiday season at Littleton’s Chatfield Farms.
🎅 Hudson Holidays
📅 Date: Friday, November 28 until January 4
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM
📍 Location: Hudson Gardens, Littleton
🎅 Detail: The season sparkles beginning Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, with shows on select nights through Jan. 4, 2026.
🏃♀️ Stock Show Kick-off Parade
📅 Date: Thursday, January 8
⏰ Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
📍 Location: Union Station at 17th Street, Denver
🏃♀️ Detail: Hooves on the streets of downtown Denver mean one thing the National Western Stock Show is here!
Dinner Club
We’ve hosted Dinner Club in Castle Rock and the feedback was great.
Quick refresher: Dinner Club is a small-group dinner (usually 6 people) where you take a short quiz, are matched with others, and meet at a local restaurant. You find out the restaurant the day of — no planning required on your part.
We’ve also heard from readers who’d love to see this in other parts of Douglas County (and maybe beyond). Before we overthink it, we want your input on where you’d actually want to attend — and which restaurants would make it worth it.
Wanted, Help
Local jobs and opportunities across Douglas County.
If you’re hiring, reach out at [email protected] for a free posting.
Land and Lore
CEO of Palantir, Alex Karp, purchases St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass for $120 million
Well, I did have this property on my Christmas list, and when I saw it sold, I briefly held out hope it was coming my way. Turns out Alex Karp beat my parents to it…
A 3,700-acre property known as St. Benedict’s Monastery in Old Snowmass sold for $120 million, making it one of the largest residential real estate transactions in Colorado history.
The buyer was identified by The Wall Street Journal as Karp, co-founder and CEO of Palantir. The property was listed by Mirr Ranch Group for $150 million last year, following a decision by the abbey to begin winding down operations in 2022.
Founded in 1956, the monastery was built by Trappist monks seeking a life of silence and prayer. The property includes a 24,000-square-foot main monastery building, a cemetery, irrigated meadows, three creeks, and senior water rights in the Roaring Fork Valley. It sits in the Capitol Creek Valley and is bordered by U.S. Forest Service land and conserved private parcels.
For decades, the monastery has been one of the largest privately owned properties in Pitkin County. Conservation easements on adjacent land are held by Aspen Valley Land Trust and Pitkin County Open Space. In 2022, Pitkin County proposed a $27 million conservation easement on the property, and a local group known as Friends of the Monastery formed to support preservation efforts.
Ken Mirr of Mirr Ranch Group did not publicly identify the buyer but said the property is expected to be used as a private residence.
The seller was the General Chapter of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, which oversees roughly 150 Trappist communities worldwide, including 14 abbeys in the United States. Approximately six monks currently live at the monastery.
There were too many amazing photos to choose from, so if you’re interested, take a look at the broker’s gallery here.
Source: Colorado Sun
Hometown Headlines
Holiday magic at Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus
TLDR: Superheroes, first responders, and local volunteers brought holiday cheer to the Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus in Highlands Ranch during the annual holiday parade. The tradition began during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to grow each year, with appearances from Batman, Captain America, the Broncos mascot, and more — all aimed at bringing smiles to patients, families, and hospital staff.
Sterling Ranch secures long-term plan for neighborhood schools
TLDR: Sterling Ranch, Douglas County, and the Douglas County School District have reached a compromise that dedicates 130 acres for future schools in the community. The agreement allows space for multiple elementary schools, as well as a middle and high school campus, and limits the developer’s ability to substitute cash in place of land. The first DCSD elementary school in Sterling Ranch is scheduled to open in fall 2027, pending future bond funding for additional schools.
Ring in 2026 with a New Year’s Eve drone show in Parker
TLDR: Douglas County will host a 10-minute drone show at EchoPark Stadium in Parker on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. The family-friendly event offers a quieter alternative to fireworks, with food trucks on site and approximately 400 drones creating choreographed displays in the sky. The event is weather-dependent, and volunteers may be needed for snow removal if conditions require.
Need more events? Check out https://dougcoevents.com (new URL)
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