Crystal Valley Blog

This is the big weekend for the Douglas County Fair! Packed with all kinds of fun for the entire family, including fair exhibits and competitions, the Discovery Ranch, live entertainment, and more! Additional ticketed events include the Carnival and PRCA Rodeo performances! Check out the full schedule so you don’t miss a thing, or refer to this special Family Fun page that highlights events for kids! Thursday and Sunday are FREE admission days!

TODAY/TONIGHT, August 5

FREE DAY AT THE FAIR
Enjoy smaller crowds and FREE Grounds Admission at the Douglas County Fair today! This is the day the Carnival opens, so be there at 5:00 p.m. if you want to be among the first on the rides. 

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr., Castle Rock
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE

DISCOVERY PARK CONCERT
Talk about perfect timing—Parker’s Discovery Park Concert Series is back for the month of August, just as other free outdoor concerts are winding down! Tonight head over to Discovery Park for a performance by Neon Moon, who plays covers of all your favorite country music from the 1990s!

Discovery Park, 20115 E. Mainstreet, Parker
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: FREE

BLACK WATER CONCERT
As part of the Sounds of Summer concert series, Black Water is the ultimate Doobie Brothers tribute band! Classic rock-and-roll fans won’t want to miss this group of seven talented musicians playing all your favorite Doobie Brothers hits!

Highland Heritage Reg’l Park, 9651 S. Quebec, Highlands Ranch
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE

XTREME BULLS
If your favorite part of the rodeo is the bull riding, this is the event for you! An evening of nothing but bulls, showcasing the PRCA’s top bull riders, this exciting event will leave your heart racing.

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr.
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $18-$28

Thursday – Sunday, August 5-8

CARNIVAL AT THE COUNTY FAIR
Carnival rides are the kids’ favorite part of the fair—maybe yours too! You can purchase individual ride tickets or unlimited wristbands for a full day of riding. Wristbands are valid for one day only, and all tickets and wristbands are available at the fairgrounds.

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr.
Thurs., 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.; Fri., 3:00 – 11:30 p.m.; Sat., 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.; Sun., 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets: $30 for one-day unlimited ride wristband

Friday, August 6

RODEO RUN 5K AND FIRST FRIDAY PARTY
The theme of this month’s First Friday FREE 5K run is All Things Rodeo! Dress the part of a cowboy or cowgirl as you run in this fun family race—and remember, the only winner is the one with the best costume! 

After the race, stay for the party in Festival Park! There will be plenty of food and cocktails, kids’ activities, and FREE music by the Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Tusk! You won’t believe how much they sound like the real thing!

Festival Park, 300 Second St., Castle Rock
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Registration: FREE
Phone: 720-724-2010

PATRIOT RODEO
This special PRCA Rodeo event, featuring seven Pro Rodeo competitions, honors men and women who have served our country. Get one free ticket for this performance only with a Military ID (active or retired) at the gate or box office; online discounts are not available. Don’t forget to wear your red, white, and blue to show support of our military!

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr., 
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $17-$25, includes Grounds Admission

BLUEGRASS ON THE TERRACE
Everyone’s thrilled to be back on the Terrace, listening to the summer sounds of some of the best bands in Colorado! Tonight’s show features Bowregard, the surprise winner of the 2019 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest! Formed barely a year before winning this prestigious title, this energetic band combines old-time music, progressive new acoustic music, and bluegrass into a truly unique sound unlike anything else on the front range of Colorado.

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $40-$45

Phone: 720-509-1000

Friday-Saturday, August 6-7

COUNTY FAIR GENERAL ADMISSION EVENTS
When you buy your ticket for the fair, you get to enjoy Discovery Ranch, the Marketplace, and all activities and entertainment at the fairgrounds unless indicated as a Ticketed Event. Kids ages 7 and under are admitted for FREE!

Friday events included with Grounds Admission include Cricket Races, Fashion Revue Fashion Show, Queens Barrel Race, Mutton Bustin’, and live music! Saturday’s events include the Pie-Eating Contest, Blindman Tractor Drive, Mutton Bustin’, and the Goat Costume Contest! Check out the full schedule of events for exact times so you don’t miss anything!

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr., Castle Rock
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Tickets: $6

BACKCOUNTRY MOVIES
This weekend’s marquee features what could arguably be called two of the best summer movies ever! Friday night’s Movie in the Backcountry is the sweetly funny Pixar classic, Up, about adventurous journeys, talking dogs, and never being too young or old to win the coveted Ellie badge. Saturday’s screening is the always-entertaining Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt’s first venture into the Marvel universe! 

Backcountry Base Camp, 6005 Ron King Trail, Littleton
Gates open 7:15 p.m.
Tickets: $25/car
Phone: 303-471-7076

MR. D’S COMEDY
If everyone had a teacher like this, we all would have loved school! Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski is an educator, comedian and influencer best known for his Spelling Bee prank video.

The video captured the hearts of 20 million people and has been featured on Good Morning America, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Pickler & Ben and BuzzFeed. Now he’s on the stand-up stage in his national comedy tour, Indoor Recess.

Comedy Works South, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village
Fri., 7:15 and 9:45 p.m.; Sat., 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$60
Phone: 720-274-6800

Friday – Sunday, August 6-8

DISCOVERY RANCH AT THE FAIR
Become a farmer for a day when you visit the Discovery Ranch at the Douglas County Fair! Discovery Ranch is an interactive, hands-on agricultural area at the fairgrounds that’s geared toward families. Kids will enjoy a variety of activities that engage and educate them about where their food comes from!

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr., Castle Rock
Fri., 12-9:00 p.m.; Sat., 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Sun., 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Tickets: Included with Grounds Admission

Saturday, August 7

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PARK MEADOWS!

Park Meadows is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and you’re invited to the party! There will be a FREE pancake breakfast, live music, kids’ crafts, and prizes galore in front of the Dining Hall entrance!

If you are one of the first 150 guests, you’ll receive a commemorative gift! There will also be more than 250 pine tree seedlings available for interested guests to take home and plant as a salute to the re-forest Colorado program.

Dining Hall Entrance at Park Meadows Shopping Center, 8401 Park Meadows Center Dr., Lone Tree
8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Tickets: FREE
Phone: 303-792-2533

PETRIFIED WOOD HIKE
This backcountry hike is rugged, but a great treasure lies at the end of it—Colorado’s largest Petrified Forest! You’ll be led by geology guides who will explain about the fascinating process of petrification and the theory that an ancient river deposited these trees here. Get up close and examine the fossilized wood for yourself! This excursion is appropriate for ages 12+, hikers should be in good physical condition, and you must bring your own water and snacks. 

Cherokee Ranch HQ, 5036 S. Hwy. 85, Sedalia
9:00 a.m.
Register: $35
Phone: 303-688-5555

SATURDAY NIGHT RODEO
One of the highlights of the Douglas County Fair, the PRCA Rodeo is an exciting night of seven Pro Rodeo competitions, including Bull Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bareback Riding, Women’s Barrel Racing, Steer Wrestling, Tie Down Roping, and Team Roping. Wear your Stetson and get in the spirit of the evening!

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr.
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $22-$29, includes Grounds Admission

BARN DANCE FEATURING BUCKSTEIN
Following the rodeo, head on over to a down-home barn dance featuring a performance by Denver’s own country-music star, Buckstein! Even people who don’t like country music like Buckstein—when he made it to the finals at American Idol years ago, the entire country fell in love with his winsome personality and feel-good country vibe.

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr.
9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $5 (Does NOT include Grounds Admission)

Saturday-Sunday, August 7-8

LOVE AND ROMANCE RENAISSANCE STYLE! 
Haven’t made it out the Colorado Renaissance Fair yet? This weekend, all couples become Romeos and Juliets in a special romance-themed celebration. You can renew your vows and faith and commitment at the Renewal of Vows ceremony, taking place at the Rose Stage at 12:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Or take part in the “Wooing” Competition in the streets throughout the day! Show how capable you are of wooing lads or lasses! Romance is in the air!

Renaissance Festival Grounds, 650 W. Perry Park Ave., Larkspur
10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $11 – $27
Phone: 303-688-6010

Sunday, August 8

FAMILY DAY AT THE FAIR
Starting with a FREE Pancake Breakfast, the last day of the County Fair is also Family Day, which means everyone gets in free! Today’s events include a Stick-Horse Rodeo, Pie-Eating Contest, Mutton Bustin’ and more!

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr.
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE Grounds Admission

COWBOYS FOR COPS
The final PRCA Rodeo of the Douglas County Fair includes all seven Pro Rodeo events— Saddle Bronc Riding, Women’s Barrel Racing, Steer Wrestling, Tie Down Roping, Team Roping, Bareback Riding, and Bull Riding—as well as a special appreciation for our Men and Women in Blue! Since it’s Family Day at the Fair, tickets for kids 7 and younger are FREE for this rodeo performance!

Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Dr.
1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $12-$18, Kids 7 and younger are FREE

Music, Recreation, Entertainment and More Near Crystal Valley!

Enjoy life in Castle Rock within minutes from the master-planned community of Crystal Valley – where nature is around every corner of the neighborhood! You could practically ride your bike to the county fair – we’re that close to all the action! Looking for a new home you can add your signature style to? Check out the beautiful model homes from Kauffman Homes, Richmond American Homes, D.R. Horton, and Century Communities, and picture yourself in your very own dream house! With ranch and two-story models available, new homes are priced from the $400s.