DISPATCH #4 · TUE, JULY 7, 2026 · NoCo · TUE HIGH 94°
Postcard from NoCo
Hi NoCo families. The sparklers are swept up, and now the good, easy part of summer takes over: free concerts on the lawn, a splash pad running downtown, and a movie for three bucks when it gets too hot. We rounded up the week so you can just pick one and go. Oh, the places you'll actually go.
JP & Alexis
Where To This Week
The 4th is behind us, and NoCo's free summer concert season kicks into full gear, headlined by a big Wednesday and a Thursday of concerts town by town.
THIS WEEK
Dino Discovery Lab at the Loveland Library — FREE
Tue 7/7 · 10:15am · Loveland Public Library
Stomp, chomp, and dig in. A drop-in discovery lab built for the 2 to 5 crowd, with STEAM stations to excavate dinosaurs, build skeletons, make volcano art, and splash through a sensory swamp. A great use of a Tuesday morning for little hands. Check the library calendar in case space is limited. Details →
A free family day in Downtown Loveland — FREE
Wed 7/8 · Kids on the Plaza 12pm to 2pm, One Sweet Summer concert 6:30pm · The Foundry, downtown Loveland
Make a whole day of it. At noon the Foundry splash pad turns on and Loveland Parks & Rec rolls out lawn games and free arts and crafts for Kids on the Plaza. Come back in the evening as the free Wednesday Night Concert season opens with Wendy Woo, and this year there's a dedicated Kids Zone (crafts, games) so the little ones have their own spot while you catch the music. Bring a blanket. Kids on the Plaza → · One Sweet Summer →
Lagoon Concert Series: 80s Night — FREE
Wed 7/8 · 6:30pm to 8:30pm · CSU Lagoon, W. Plum St & Meridian Ave, Fort Collins
The other big free show on Wednesday, and one of the most-loved in NoCo (it packs 3,000-plus onto the lawn). This week is 80s Night with That Eighties Band, so dig out the neon. A rotating lineup of food trucks (Walrus Ice Cream, Mary's Mountain Cookies, and more) means dinner is handled. Bring low chairs or a blanket. Details →
Family Movies at the Rialto: Moana — $3
Wed 7/8 · 10am and 2pm · Rialto Theater, downtown Loveland
The perfect plan for the hot part of the day: a real theater, a family favorite, and tickets are just three dollars. Two showtimes give you room to work around a nap. Details →
Kids Tea Making at Orion's Apothecary — $20 per child
Wed 7/8 · 2:30pm · Orion's Apothecary, Loveland
A hands-on class where kids blend their own herbal tea from dried herbs and take some home. A calm, curious little afternoon for the ones who like to mix and measure. Space is limited, so register ahead. Details →
Fort Fun's 25th Anniversary — $25
Wed 7/8 · from 10am · Fort Fun, Fort Collins
The go-karts, mini golf, and bumper boats on East Mulberry turn 25, and Fort Collins' family fun center is throwing a community celebration to mark it. A classic NoCo afternoon of laps and laughs, now a quarter century in. Details →
Loveland Summer Concert Series — FREE
Thu 7/9 · 7pm · Foote Lagoon Amphitheater, 500 E. 3rd St, Loveland
The free Thursday concert season opens with Ain't No Mountain High Enough, a Motown and Stax revue rolling through the Supremes, the Temptations, and Marvin Gaye. First-come seating on the lawn, so bring low chairs or a blanket. Details →
Windsor Summer Concert Series — FREE
Thu 7/9 · 6:30pm to 8:30pm · Boardwalk Community Park, Windsor
A lakeside Thursday tradition with live music, food trucks, and vendors, plus face painting and a cornhole league. Spread a blanket by the water and let the kids roam. Details →
Greeley Summer Concert Series at the Family FunPlex — FREE
Thu 7/9 · 7pm · Family FunPlex, Greeley
Greeley's free summer series brings live music to the FunPlex, all ages welcome. An easy, low-key Thursday night out on the east side of NoCo. Details →
Summer Movies in the Park: GOAT — FREE
Thu 7/9 · around 8pm at dusk · Fickel Park, Berthoud
Berthoud's outdoor movie night returns to Fickel Park with GOAT, this year's PG animated underdog story about a little goat with big hoops dreams (produced by Steph Curry, so the basketball is legit). Bring blankets, camp chairs, and a picnic, and settle in as the film starts at dusk. Details →
The Butterfly House at the Gardens on Spring Creek — $8 kids (2-17), $11 adults, $9 seniors/military
Any day this week · The Gardens on Spring Creek, 2145 Centre Ave, Fort Collins
A tropical room full of free-flying butterflies, open year-round, and a lovely reset on a hot or unpredictable afternoon. Little kids especially love it when one lands nearby. Book a timed ticket online before you go. Details →
THIS WEEKEND
Night on the Town in Downtown Loveland — FREE
Fri 7/10 · evening · Downtown Loveland
One for date night, or an easy wander with the older kids: downtown's monthly second-Friday art walk, with gallery openings, live entertainment on the corners, and shops and restaurants staying open late with specials. Line up a sitter and go graze. Details →
Girls' Saturday Morning Out at Jessup Farm — FREE Market | Classes Vary
Sat 7/11 · from 9am · Jessup Farm Artisan Village, Fort Collins
One for the grown-ups (kids welcome for the market and a donut): the Artisan Village hosts a farmers market plus outdoor wellness classes (yoga, pilates, bootcamp) in a walkable little courtyard of shops and coffee. An easy, unhurried Saturday morning. Details →
NoCo Regulars
Markets and story times you can count on: Larimer County Farmers' Market (Sat, Old Town Fort Collins) · Loveland Farmers' Market (Sun) · Greeley Summer Market (Sat) · Fort Collins Farmers' Market (Sun & Wed) · Loveland Library Baby & Toddler Storytime (Tue).
Local Business Spotlight: Pedro’s Coffee
Pedro's Coffee, Timnath (@pedros_coffee)
If you made it to the Lovely Lit Books grand opening this week, you already know the spot. Pedro's Coffee sits in a lovingly restored 1920s dairy barn on the eastern edge of Timnath, all weathered wood and open space, the kind of room where a slow morning with the kids feels easy. Grab a good cup and a pastry, let them roam a little, and enjoy a piece of NoCo history that still smells like fresh coffee instead of hay. One heads-up: they are closed Tuesdays, so make it a Wednesday-through-Monday plan. Come make a morning of it.
Community Corner
The coffee tour stops at Pedro's Coffee in Timnath this week, in that gorgeous old dairy barn. Next stops we're eyeing: Windsor, Greeley, and Wellington. Who's your favorite out that way? Hit reply with the shop we shouldn't miss. We read every single one.
Got a family event on your radar? Add it at theplacesno.co/submit-event and it might land in an upcoming dispatch.
That's the week, NoCo. However you spend it, whether it's a concert on the lawn or Moana with the AC cranked, we hope it's a good one. Know a parent who's always asking what there is to do? Forward this their way.
Be the parent who somehow always knows about this stuff.
JP & Alexis
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