There's always something special about shopping downtown during the holiday season. There, you find tradition, unique stores, a festive atmosphere, and a vast variety of cozy restaurants and coffee shops when you need to supplement your shopping strength. It's also a great place to catch up with friends during a holiday brunch, lunch or dinner.
And while metered parking is always free on Sundays, you can also park in the meteredspaces at no cost on the first three Saturdays in December - the 6th, 13th, and 20th.
If you're attending the Parade of Lights on Saturday, December 6th, it's best to be downtown early, so it's the perfect time to work some shopping in and grab a bite to eat before the parade starts.
For a list of downtown services, shopping and dining, and to call for holiday hours, visit the Downtown Guide.
If fine jewelry is on your Christmas List, be sure to visit D. Bierfeldt Master Jeweler at 107 E. Pikes Peak Avenue (227-1361). You can choose something gorgeous from the showcase, or for that spectacular gift, have a heirloom custom made. Dale Bierfeldt has an eye for the exquisite, and will help you design a true treasure.
Our assistant's pick for her favorite downtown restaurant: The award-winning Mediterranean Cafeat 118 E. Kiowa (633-0115). She tells us even though she seeks out Mediterranean restaurants wherever she goes, this gem remains her favorite, for the superb tasting dishes at a very reasonable price. Try the spanakopita!
Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.
For the price of a first-class stamp, and a spare moment and an extra greeting card, you can brighten a current or former service member's holiday. (If you don't have a card, you can even download a free one). Groups or families can also send multiple cards in one package.
The Holiday Mail For Heroes campaign is a joint effort sponsored by the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes, with the goal of distributing one million holiday cards to service members, veterans and family members in the U.S. and overseas.
The Red Cross began this program in 2007, at the request of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to handle the overwhelming number of cards sent to wounded service members. This year, the scope has been expanded to include military personnel serving in harm's way, veterans and families.
Security measures are much tighter these days, so Pitney Bowes screens each card for hazardous materials, and then Red Cross volunteers review, sort, and forward each card, so it's imperative that all cards be postmarked by December 10th to allow processing time.
While there are still well-meaning emails circulating suggesting cards be sent to "A Recovering U.S. Soldier" care of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the hospital is not accepting these cards (we went to Walter Reed's site to verify this.)
Please ensure all cards are postmarked by December 10th; cards postmarked later will be returned to the sender (and we don't want to see your efforts wasted). For the mailing address and specific guidelines, please visit the Holiday Mail For Heroes' web page. (If you're also interested in purchasing care packages or gift or phone cards, you'll find links there, too, as these items can't be included in the holiday cards).
Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 899-699-8500 ext. 1120.
Are you looking for charm, (maybe you don't see yourself living in a cookie-cutter home)but don't have the time and/or money to remodel a home? Is your heart really set on a single family home, but you have budget limitations? Do granite counters and stainless appliances appeal to you? How about a light, bright, neutral interior that's sure to go with your existing furniture and acessories? Does a large, easy care lot work for you, so your outdoor time can be spent enjoying yourself instead of having tons of yardwork? Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to rush out to buy window coverings and appliances? Or maybe you know of someone who is looking for their first home...
Then come to our Open House on Sunday, November 23rd from Noon to 3 pm to see this delightful remodel with many special touches. The current owners have put a lot of time and love into this home, and are looking for buyers to enjoy their efforts. And... The price has been significantly improved since our other open house!
3 Bedrooms and 2 Full Baths ~ Full, Finished Walkout Lower Level ~ Living and Family Rooms ~ New Lighting, Flooring and Bath Fixtures ~ Huge Laundry Room ~ Freshly Painted Interior and Exterior ~ Walkout from Lower Level Family Room to Patio and Huge Yard ~ Xeriscaping with Drip System ~ Carport and Off-Street Parking for Two Cars ~ Mountain Views ~ Established Neighborhood ~ Convenient to Dining and Library ~ Now offered at $169,960
Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. To contact them about this open house, or any other Colorado Springs home, call 719-660-9950 or 719-660-9940.
Bringing a furry pet home is wonderful way to add loads of love to your household. We give our pets a little love, and get so much more in return (at least with dogs; with cats, you sometimes have to settle for knowing that your superior house guest isn't looking for better digs).
Every Saturday, Aileen Peek and members of her dedicated shelter staff hold Pet Adoption Fairs at PetSmart on North Academy Blvd. To give you an idea of how dedicated they are: Their shelter, the San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society, is in Alamosa. So, in addition to loading and unloading the pets, cages, and supplies, and spending six hours at the adoption fair, they drive almost three hours each way to find loving homes for the rescued animals. And they've been doing this for years, because they know that Colorado Springs is filled with responsible pet lovers.
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Pumpkin could be your Cutie Pie this Thanksgiving
We stopped by one of the recent fairs, and found a variety of adorable puppies (is there anything cuter than a puppy?) many beautiful, friendly adult dogs, and one mellow cat who seemed completely non-plussed by the occasional barking puppy.
The need is great; even though the SLV Animal Welfare Society is a no-kill shelter, their resources, including space, are limited. So, the quicker they find homes for the dogs and cats, the more animals they can take in. Taking in means "saving" - from hunger, neglect, abuse, or even death. It's a never ending challenge to serve all the animals who need them; recently, the shelter acquired two litters of 14 puppieseach!
All the animals are up to date on their shots; puppies are parvo-free and cats have been screened for leukemia. The animals that are old enough are spayed or neutered.
Brother and sister Dustin and Dusty, above, are very attached to each other, so they must be adopted together. Since dogs are very social creatures, in many cases it's easier to have two. If you have one dog, and feel you can't give him enough attention, why not consider adopting a companion for him? You're already taking that walk anyway, and your dog won't be lonely while you're not at home.
What a sweet face! Fluffy, a Labrador Retriever mix with a marvelous disposition, also has a sister waiting for a new home.
If you or anyone you know is thinking of adding a new family member this holiday season, stop by the adoption fair; you could find true love.
Colorado Springs pet adoption fairs: Saturdays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at PetSmart at 7680 N. Academy Blvd. across from Chapel Hills Mall. 719-531-7870
For more information call 719-587-WOOF (9663) or email woof@slvaws.org.
Visit the San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society's website, where you can learn more about the organization and see a list of adoptable pets.
Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. Their Golden Retrievers, Murray and Suzy, keep each other company while Ken and Sandy are helping buyers and sellers.
Today we're celebrating Veterans Day. The holiday is celebrated on November 11th to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Armistice Day was originally proclaimed in 1919 to honor World War I veterans; since November of 1954, it has been know as Veterans Day to honor all veterans. (In some other countries, this date is still celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day).
We'd like to send a heartfelt thank-you to all our Veterans, and let you know we appreciate your sacrifices, past and present, large and small. We're also proud to celebrate Colorado Springs' military heritage and the contributions made by our local service members.
To find out more about the history of Veterans Day, and interesting military facts, visit History.com or Wikipedia.
Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.
Home buyers are still looking for - and finding - good deals in the Colorado Springs area. 649 homes sold through the Pikes Peak mls in October, and half of those homes closed at under $189,000.
60 of the sold homes commanded prices of $400,000 or more, including five that sold at 1 million dollars plus (the sale of one of those homes for over 3 million dollarshelped bring the average sold price to $232,012).
The single family homes sold accounted for $149,277,925 in real estate transactions, and another $12,383,932 of Condos/Townhomes sold (83 homes).
The number of active listings (5841) was very close to March's number, but that month had better sales activity of (723 sold homes). From January through October 31st, 2008, 7,345 single family homes have sold.
Based on information from Pikes Peak Realtor Services Corp. (RSC) for the period of March 2008 to October 2008. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. If you have any questions about buying or selling a Colorado Springs area home, contact them at 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.
Fall is arguably the most beautiful time of year in Colorado. As lovely as the changing aspen leaves are in their own right, when the backdrop includes lakes and mountains, the view is absolutely breathtaking.
We took these photos at Twin Lakes in Lake County, Colorado.
From Highway 82, on the way to Aspen
A view of Mount Elbert
Forebay, with Mount Elebert in the background
Reflections of the aspen-studded mountains in the lake.
You can see some beautiful panoramas created with our Visual Tour program.
Ken and Sandy Wickham are Colorado Realtors who love spending time in beautiful Twin Lakes, CO. Not familiar with Twin Lakes? Give Ken and Sandy a call at 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500. They'd love to answer your questions!
Are you an investor, or a first-time home buyer who is eligible for conventional financing?
Does a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with an attached 2 car garage and a large lot fit your needs? It's even better when it has nicely sized rooms, a large eat-in kitchen, and fresh interior paint.
The living room has hardwood floors, a cozy fireplace, and walkout to the large yard.There's a nice open flow between living room, nook and kitchen.
There's plenty of room for two or more people to cook together in this kitchen!
The roomy nook is perfect for relaxing gatherings.
The Master Bedroom has brand new carpet and an attached 3/4 bath.
This home needs some work, but it's priced accordingly for quick sale. See more info and photos on this home's web page. Call us today for more details; we'd love to tell you more about this home.
Ken and Sandy Wickham are seasoned Realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. To contact them, call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500 ext. 1120.
Since this home's price has just been reduced, it's the perfect time to schedule a showing!
Don't let the front photo fool you - this home has a full, finished, walk-out basement, so it's much larger than it looks from the front. 1536 square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.
This home sits on a great lot! There's a good sized grassy area in the back yard, and a lot of Xeriscaping (with a drip system), so your weekends aren't filled with yard work.
This light-filled home has been lovingly remodeled. The neutral decor will complement your furniture.
Wouldn't you love granite counters and stainless appliances?
Visit this home to see the many special touches. Now offered at $171,900.
The snow-capped peaks are particulary beautiful on a sunny June day.
The smooth-as-glass lake on a gorgeous October day.
Thanksgiving, with just a dusting of snow on the shore.
Ken and Sandy Wickham are long-time Colorado Realtors who love spending time in beautiful Twin Lakes, CO. To contact them, please call 719-534-7919 or 800-599-8500.They'd love to answer your questions about Twin Lakes!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
The Red Cross began this program in 2007, at the request of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to handle the overwhelming number of cards sent to wounded service members. This year, the scope has been expanded to include military personnel serving in harm's way, veterans and families. 
Are you looking for charm, (maybe you don't see yourself living in a cookie-cutter home) but don't have the time and/or money to remodel a home? Is your heart really set on a single family home, but you have budget limitations? Do granite counters and stainless appliances appeal to you? How about a light, bright, neutral interior that's sure to go with your existing furniture and acessories? Does a large, easy care lot work for you, so your outdoor time can be spent enjoying yourself instead of having tons of yardwork? Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to rush out to buy window coverings and appliances? Or maybe you know of someone who is looking for their first home... 
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