Twins Ada and Jojo Spencer, 5, sniff containers of paint made from food products to see if they can guess what spice or vegetable was used.
OK, Coloradans, mark your calendars for 2nd Saturdays at CSU Spur each month, when fascinating, fun, and free entertainment awaits you and your family, whether that involves playing musical instruments, tasting and rating varieties of green chile, or even grooming stuffed animals while the real thing is undergoing surgery a few yards away.
Welcome to CSU Spur, the Colorado State University System’s campus in north Denver, a one-of- a-kind facility where students learn, and so do visitors who drop by weekdays and the second Saturday of the month.
Ten-year-old Eloise Robertson of Denver loves television shows about animals and animal care, and when she heard that veterinarians perform surgeries behind glass windows, she was all in for a visit.
“It’s so interesting,” she said, as she watched a doctor at the Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur snip away while spaying a dog.
Some of the events are specific to the Saturday in question, such as Oct. 14, when visitors of all ages donned special glasses and stared straight into the sun to view an “annular solar eclipse.” In those instances, the moon does not completely block the sun, as it does during a total solar eclipse.
Adults and kids alike looked up into the sky and frequently called out, “I see it!”
“It’s a really exciting energy here,” said Sarah Miley, Denver program manager at CSU Spur.
She frequently hears from families that they had just planned to drop by for a short visit on a Saturday but ended up staying the whole time, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.* They learn about CSU Spur from friends and neighbors, home-school parents, CSU employees, even Instagram.
“We come all the time, probably seven times a year,” said Kelly Hollinger of Denver, whose daughters Gracie, 11, and Ayla, 8, stared at the eclipse through special glasses.
CSU Spur, with its three buildings, is a campus inside the reimagined National Western Center. Partners include the Dumb Friends League, Denver Water, the Temple Grandin Equine Center, and the CSU College of Agriculture.
“A day at CSU Spur has something for all ages — it’s a laboratory, veterinary clinic, market, museum, art studio, classroom, garden, innovation center…all in one!” it boasts on its website.
On this particular Saturday, CSU Spur’s Food Innovation Center ran a research project involving roasted chile peppers. The volunteer tasters evaluated the flavors of the chiles and their attributes. The sampling was part of a graduate student’s research project, but the Food Innovation Center also does testing for food and beverage businesses, said Martha Calvert, a Colorado State University employee who runs the sensory program.
She encouraged members of the public to sign up to be tasters.
2nd Saturdays at CSU Spur
The CSU Spur campus is at 4777 National Western Drive in Denver, adjacent to the National Western Stock Show grounds. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the second Saturday of each month. (Note: In 2024, the campus will be open on 2nd Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Here’s a look at upcoming 2nd Saturdays at CSU Spur.
Nov. 11: The Air Up There
- Coding workshops: 30 days Lost in Space, Brought to you by CSU Extension
- 4-H. Youth will learn coding from the Inventr.io program by putting together wires and LED lights and then copying a prewritten code to make their devices work.
- Music lab, guest artist Venus Cruz will focus on air in music
- Community science projects about air quality
Dec. 9: Healthy Holidays
- Bean cooking and science demos
- Activities and resources all about physical and mental wellness
Watch social media for more details and check out other activities on the Spur calendar.
Also in the Terra building, visitors can take a community cooking class in the teaching kitchen, be a chef or food scientist for a day in the kids’ mock kitchen, or walk the research green roof and check out the rooftop greenhouses.
Across the street this Saturday, visitors sampled locally made products, from ice cream to hot sauce, which were available for sale at the Colorado Food Showcase.
Sarah Sweetman and her 18-year-old son, Thomas, from Centennial, milled about the displays. He’s a senior at Arapahoe High School and visited the Spur because he’s interested in attending CSU next year.
“I like the campus and the vibe,” he said.
Mariana del Hierro and her 7-year-old son Salvador (left) and Gracie, 11, and Ayla, 8 (right) check out the solar eclipse at Spur on Oct. 14, 2023.
Tempo Granola creator Beverly Karns raved about the event as she handed out samples.
“There are so many people here in the industry, and they have such great experiences and are willing to share them to help us small businesses get to the next level,” she said.
Across the room was 12-year-old McKay Anderson from Fort Collins, who owns and operates her own business, Field Strips, which offers fruit leather and banana chips.
Because of food allergies, her mother, Megan McBride, began making homemade snacks for McKay when she was little. During the pandemic, McKay took over and began making and selling the products.
“Do you use a food hydrator?” one potential customer asked.
“I use three,” McKay answered.
She normally sells her products at farmers’ markets in Fort Collins. She’s been to CSU Spur before to learn more about food innovation and businesses, but Oct. 14 was her first time as a vendor.
Two floors below, kids painted pictures using paints made from food products, such as red cabbage, spinach and turmeric.
“It’s kind of a fun way to provide an introduction to fruits and vegetables instead of just what’s on their plates,” said Bailey Carr, a chef and dietician from Colorado State University’s Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center in Fort Collins.
Five-year-old twins Ada and Jojo of Denver picked up the brushes and went to work after first sniffing jars to try to guess what the paint was made of.
“You painted on my arm,” Ada chastised her sister.
On the other side of the building, music professor Katrina Hedrick had the impossible task of getting excited youngsters to hold off playing their drums, maracas, and cabasas until it was time. Among them was 4-year-old Sebastian, who appeared dejected when his mother told him to wait.
But that didn’t stop Sebastian from enjoying his day.
“He liked it all,” his mother, Beatrice Noriega, said.
That seems to be the theme at CSU Spur.
Lynn Bartels worked as a journalist for 35 years, including stints at the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post.
About CSU Spur
CSU Spur is a new, free learning destination open year-round in Denver, focused on engaging K-12 students, families, and visitors around food, water, and health. CSU Spur showcases the work of the CSU System campuses: CSU, CSU Pueblo, and CSU Global, while advancing knowledge on topics in food, water, health and sustainability. Spur is built upon the land-grant mission of access to education. To inspire lifelong learners to engage in important world issues, CSU Spur brings together scientists at work with youth and families, showcasing career paths, while creating a space and place for collaboration across disciplines. The CSU Spur campus provides immersive learning experiences and cutting-edge research across three buildings: Vida, Terra, and Hydro. Learn more at CSUSpur.org.
