Behind the Scenery
Bringing the Colorado Experience to You
Thanks for stopping by the newest edition to the Parks, Open Space, & Cultural Arts website, Behind the Scenery. This space is dedicated to keeping Adams County residents updated on all the exciting things we are working on in the Parks, Open Space & Cultural Arts department. You may have heard about our community events like the Adams County Fair, our beautiful art projects, or our trails and open space properties, but we want to take a look Behind the Scenery of what we are planning next and highlight some of the work our staff do on a daily basis for our residents. This page showcases those projects and more as we work hard to significantly enhance quality of life, enrich communities, and INSPIRE!
We will update this page monthly to keep you in the know. Thanks for taking a look Behind the Scenery!
Cultural Arts
Over the summer of 2025, the Cultural Arts Division worked with renowned graffiti and teaching artists Jolt and CoCo of Guerilla Garden to create a large mural as part of the Adams County Public Works 58th Avenue Street Widening Project.
Jolt and CoCo conducted a six-week intensive mural painting program with the Suncor Boys and Girls Club Keystone Leadership Program located in Commerce City, ultimately leading to a public artwork reflecting the hopes and dreams of the students who participated. Students learned about the rich history of street art, spray painting techniques, and even visited the mural site to assist with the painting.
Documentary film maker Freddie Gluck embedded himself into this project to capture the larger story of street art in Adams County. The resulting film, SCRIBES, captures beautiful imagery of the often-overlooked areas of our county and explores how artists grow and develop in those settings.
SCRIBES premiered at Castle Rock Film Festival this past April. View the film online and look out for other screenings later this year.
Planning, Design, and Construction
Exciting improvements are underway at Riverdale Regional Park, and as of June 1, the project is nearly 90% complete. Here’s what that means for our park users:
- For golfers, The Knolls at Riverdale Golf Courses will be fully open on Wednesday, June 3.
- Park Boulevard, the main entrance into Riverdale Regional Park and the Adams County Fairground will be paved in early-June, and will be open for Stars & Stripes on Friday, July 3.
- The third of three new barns at the fairgrounds is almost complete and will be ready for occupants this summer.
- The Outdoor Covered Arena, great lawn, and new parking lots will be completed and ready for use during the Adams County Fair, starting on July 29!
Those who have been back to the Adams Hollow Disc Golf Course or played a round at the Riverdale Dunes noticed the improvements taking place on Fairway 15 adjacent the Fishing is Fun Pond. The retaining wall improvements were completed late in April, and a new wall lines the north end of the lake. The new wall replaces a 40-year-old deteriorating retaining wall that was causing unsafe conditions for golfers and park users. The new wall is over 1,300 lineal feet and is made of steel sheet pile for stability and longevity.
To the north and west of Riverdale Regional Park, an exciting new project is underway. The Riverdale Bluffs is a project designed to bring the Colorado experience to Adams County, bringing equitable access to ADA walking paths, singletrack bike trails, overlooks, stair inclines, and public art. The Riverdale Bluffs Open Space project is a partnership with the E-470 Trail to enhance regional connection between neighborhoods, schools, cities, and the South Platte River Greenway.
We’re looking forward to bringing these projects to life and seeing the completion of the Riverdale Regional Park improvements this summer!
Parks, Open Space & Trail Operations
While the unseasonably warm and dry winter has caused drought concerns, it also allowed our parks operations team to accomplish many projects that wouldn’t have been possible under normal winter conditions. Notably, the South Parks Operations team repaired and welded the chase drains on Little Dry Creek tunnels, renovated the parking lot at Little Dry Creek Open Space by removing boulders and installing new fence posts. Additionally, parks have been equipped with new pet station bag boxes, and Rotella Park saw irrigation system upgrades, sod installation, and the planting of 12 new Spring Snow Crab trees.
At Riverdale Regional Park, the North Park Operations team constructed additional storage for the Waymire Dome, added crushed asphalt parking lots for the new barns at the fairgrounds, refurbished all the drains in the Al Lesser building, and refurbished the 4-H Livestock Office.
The Parks, Open Space & Trails Operations team will begin working on a rock project at Pelican Ponds Open Space to expand the parking lot and install a round post fence at Rosebud Park West, will complete the soft surface trail along Lowell Ponds Open Space, and install 20 park benches along the South Platte River Trail and Clear Creek Trails.
Looking forward, the Parks, Open Space & Trails Operations division will be collaborating with County departments to ensure that the parks and facilities are prepared for Adams County Pride, Stars & Stripes, the Adams County Fair, Festival Latino, Berkeley Days, ACSO Operation Freebird, National Night Out, and Welby Days which highlights the natural beauty of Rotella Park.
Business Administration
The Business Administration team plays a vital role in the Parks, Open Space & Cultural Arts department by fielding questions from residents, providing support for each division within the department, facilitating the Open Space Sales Tax Grant Program, and compiling data related to parks, open space, trails, and facilities in Adams County.
Over the past two months, the Business Administration division processed over 200 invoices, over 60 requisitions, and assisted nearly 300 walk-in customers. The division compiled extensive facility and park usage data for presentations to the Adams County Commissioners, and onboarded seasonal staff for the CSU Extension and Park, Open Space, and Trails divisions.
The Open Space Sales Tax Grant Program opened its spring cycle and received eight active grant applications, six passive applications, and eight mini grant applications. The Open Space Sales Tax Grant Program also unveiled a new dashboard to assist municipalities and residents in finding information about the history of the grant program, including total dollars awarded to each applicant since the program’s inception. Learn more about that here.
As summer approaches, the Business Administration team is looking forward to onboarding additional summer hires and kicking off the 2027 budgeting season.
Special Events
As we approach summer, the Special Events team has been busy planning for our four major community events: Pride, Stars & Stripes, the Adams County Fair, and Festival Latino. These events take months of preparation and planning as the Special Events team works to secure exciting food and commercial vendors, entertainment, sponsorships, and, above all, work with our law enforcement and community safety partners to ensure each event is run safely.
One thing that makes our events successful each year are the great partnerships our Special Events team builds with local businesses. At each event this year, we’re excited to bring back some community-favorite local food vendors, but we’re also adding in some new and exciting food options to our events! For Pride, Stars & Stripes, and Festival Latino, four new food vendors will be joining us to bring their unique offerings to our guests, and at the Adams County Fair, there will be six new food vendors to try in addition to our crowd favorites.
We’ve also worked closely to find exciting partnership and sponsorship opportunities that keep our events fresh and exciting. This year, over 51 businesses have sponsored Adams County events, allowing us to ensure that Adams County residents can come to any of our events for free. Food and commercial vendors have items for purchase, but residents can come to Pride, Stars & Stripes, the Adams County Fair, and Festival Latino without spending a dollar, thanks to our wonderful sponsors. Learn more about the sponsors for each event here, and the sponsors for the Adams County Fair here.
On top of these major community events, the Special Events team coordinates the use of Rotella Park and Riverdale Regional Park pavilions and facility rentals. From January through May 15, our venues have been used over 500 times by community groups, residents, and other rentals.
Looking forward, we’re excited to welcome everyone to our free community events in 2026!
Adams County Pride: Saturday, June 13
Adams County Stars & Stripes: Friday, July 3
Adams County Fair: Wednesday, July 29-Sunday, Aug. 2
Adams County Festival Latino: Sunday, Sept. 13
Riverdale Golf Courses
The Riverdale Golf Courses received a facelift over the winter and are open for the 2026 season! The restaurant and pro shop opened in May with new features including lighting, flooring, furniture, and beverage and snack coolers. Other enhancements included the addition of a fitting room in the pro shop and enhancements to the restrooms. Outside, the clubhouse now boasts an expanded patio with a TV, updated wifi, additional seating, and a fire pit. The project has moved into phase two which includes enhancements to the banquet rooms.
Plan your next outing to the Riverdale Golf Courses! Visit their website or call 303.659.6700!
CSU Extension
Adams County’s CSU Extension team works across the county to enhance the quality of life for residents, enrich communities, inspire, and empower individuals and families to thrive. Adams County’s 4-H, which is managed by CSU Extension, has been busy doing just that over the past months. In April, Adams County 4-H had four members participate at the National LifeSmarts Contest in Orlando, Florida. After competing in 7 competitions, the team placed 18th overall. Congratulations to the Adams County 4-H LifeSmarts team!
The 4-H team also completed year-long STEAM and well-being programming in our community with partners like:
- Anythink Libraries
- Northglenn, Trailwinds, and Carpenter Recreation Centers
- The Salvation Army
- The STEM Lab
- The STEAD School
- Alsup, Federal Heights, Adventure, Meadow Ridge, Montview, Pennock, Arapahoe Ridge, Cotton Creek, Valley View, Orchard Park, Dupont, Mesa, and Silver Creek Elementary Schools
The CSU Extension team is looking forward to reaching even more schools for programming this fall, and if your school is interested, you can request programming here.
The CSU Extension team has horticulturists on staff to help you with your garden, small acreage farm, and answer any plant questions you may have. The Extension team works with Colorado Master Gardeners to provide answers to your questions, and even better, the Master Gardeners will be offering tours of the rose, perennial, and xeric (low-water) gardens at the Adams County Fairgrounds this summer. Learn more here!
In the immediate future, Adams County 4-H members are getting ready for the Adams County Fair! Make sure to stop by and check out the projects that these members work hard on year-round during the Adams County Fair, July 29-Aug. 2.