The Colorado Springs Emu Everyone's Been Asking About

The Colorado Springs Emu Everyone's Been Asking About

What happens when a bird bought to guard a backyard flock becomes a full-blown local celebrity?  This week, Carly sits down with Billy-Sue Mitchell and her six-foot emu, Dennis, at their charming Colorado Springs home, surrounded by ducks, two chickens, and two dogs. Billy shares how Dennis went from a duck-harness-wearing baby to a leash-walking icon spotted everywhere from Garden of the Gods to Manitou Springs, Old Colorado City, and beyond. Along the way, we get the heart-stopping story of the time Dennis went missing for 24 hours (and the German Shepherd who tracked him down), the truth about the Great Emu War of 1932, and why male emus make such gentle, devoted companions. Most movingly, Billy opens up about how Dennis helped pull her through a deep depression after losing her brother, and how sharing his joy with strangers became its own kind of healing. In this episode: * Why Billy originally got an emu (hint: foxes) * How public walks and a chance reporter photo made Dennis famous * The 24-hour disappearance and dramatic rescue * Dennis the dog: fetch with sticks, elevators, and bathroom stalls * Male vs. female emus, and why dads do all the parenting * Emu FAQs, therapy-animal questions and Dennis's empathy for crying kids * How Dennis changed Billy's life after loss Catch Dennis in person! Our picks of the week:  * Donkey Derby Days (Cripple Creek) * Monument's Fourth of July Parade * Green Mountain Falls' Bronc Day Festival A sweet, surprising, genuinely moving conversation about animals, community, and the unexpected things that heal us. We Love Our Sponsors * Pikes Peak Library District Summer Adventure Program [https://ppld.org/summer] — All you have to do is spend 30 days reading, creating, and exploring to win prizes. * Vanguard Aesthetics [https://vanguardskin.com/aesthetics/injectables/botox-cosmetic/] — Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results. * Core Collective [https://corecollectivecos.com/] — Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30.

Inside the Movement to Make Colorado Springs a True Bike City

Is Colorado Springs a bike town or a car town? Carly sits down with three people who are quietly reshaping how the Springs gets around: Tara McCarthy, Executive Director of PikeRide [https://www.pikeride.org/]; Torie Giffin, owner of the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort [https://www.bicycleresort.com/]; and Kerry Childress, a city transportation planner who turns out to be one of the unsung heroes building the bike network behind the scenes. From midnight rides through Garden of the Gods to the e-bike boom changing who can ride, this conversation covers what it really takes to move a sprawling, car-centric city toward two wheels, and why it matters whether or not you ever clip in. In this episode: * The single rides that made each guest fall in love with cycling in the Pikes Peak region * Whether the Springs' "outdoor town" reputation actually holds up * Why your tax dollars on a bike lane matter even if you never use one * Planning a bike network for a city built on hills and sprawl, not a flat grid like Boulder * The bike tourism money the Springs may be leaving on the table (think Fruita and Bentonville) * Transportation equity and what it means to be "time privileged" with a set of car keys * Pike Ride's expansion into Southeast Colorado Springs and the $35-a-month e-bike program changing lives * The truth about what's actually being sold as an "e-bike" * How to make cycling culture welcoming to anyone, no spandex or Strava required * Everything you need to know about Bike to Work Day [https://coloradosprings.gov/biketowork] on June 24th (yes, there's bacon) Mentioned in this episode: Pedal the Springs podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/4YMqUp2JnzXklClxvGD1O4] • Colorado Springs Cycling Club [https://www.bikesprings.org/] • Trails and Open Space Coalition [https://trailsandopenspaces.org/] • Kids on Bikes [https://kidsonbikes.net/] • Visit Colorado Springs [https://www.visitcos.com/] • PikeRide Episode of Springs and Things [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/springs-and-things/id1778742716?i=1000736266267] We Love Our Sponsors * Pikes Peak Library District Summer Adventure Program [https://ppld.org/summer] — All you have to do is spend 30 days reading, creating, and exploring to win prizes. * Vanguard Aesthetics [https://vanguardskin.com/aesthetics/injectables/dermal-fillers/]— Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results. * Core Collective [https://corecollectivecos.com/] — Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30.  Grab your bike, take a ride, then come back and join us, because by the end, that "e-bike smile" might just make an addict out of you, too.

Your Colorado Springs Summer Adventure Guide with PPLD

This summer, we're trading coffee dates for library dates! In this episode, we go behind the scenes of the Pikes Peak Library District's Summer Adventure program, recorded live from Library 21C on kickoff day. First, we sit down with Melody Alvarez, Director of Programming, to break down everything families need to know about Summer Adventure: this year's "Unearth a Story" theme, how simple it is to sign up, what the program entails, and the prizes that had us giddy (hello, Cloud Camp [https://www.broadmoor.com/cloud-camp]).  Then we head into the library's own podcast studio for round two with Christa Funke, Senior Librarian in Programming and 16-year PPLD veteran, who reveals just how much a modern library can be. In this episode: * What Summer Adventure is and how to sign up (it's free, and you can start anytime in June or July!) * This year's "Unearth a Story" theme  * Why over 18,000 people participated last year (with a goal of 20,000 this summer) * The free PPLD summer concert series in Manitou Springs, Palmer Lake, and beyond * Non-traditional library finds: seed libraries, makerspaces, gross-motor toys, cameras, and equipment * Free lunches for kids ages 0–18 at the East Library this summer * The Colorado 150 / US 250 passport program (visit every library and earn prizes) * A heartfelt patron story that captures what Summer Adventure is really about * Pick of the week: Theatreworks' The Garbologists [https://entcenterforthearts.org/events/garbologists-theatreworks] at the Ent Center for the Arts How to register for Summer Adventure with PPLD [https://ppld.org/summer]: Visit any PPLD location, sign up online, or use the BeanStack app. Whether you're a lifelong library lover or haven't walked through those doors in years, this one's for you, because as Christa says, everyone belongs at the library. Loved this episode? Please leave a 5-star review, and share it with a friend you want to join you for Summer Adventure this year! We Love Our Sponsors Pikes Peak Library District Summer Adventure Program [https://ppld.org/summer] — All you have to do is spend 30 days reading, creating, and exploring to win prizes. Vanguard Aesthetics [https://www.vanguardskin.com/medical-services/aesthetic-services/] — Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results. Core Collective [https://corecollectivecos.com/] — Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30. Why Wait Stories [https://www.whywaitstories.com/] — Legacy films and brand films that capture the stories that matter most.

Our Most Frequently Asked Questions About Colorado Springs and Beyond, Answered!

After a year and a half of spotlighting the best people and places in Colorado Springs, we're flipping the script. This week, we answer the questions listeners ask most, from what we do outside the podcast to our favorite local restaurants, most emotional interviews, and the food spots we're still grieving. In this episode: * What you might not know about your two hosts * The local events every Colorado Springs resident should experience at least once * Favorite restaurants for out-of-town guests * The episodes that stuck with us long after recording * What people from out of state consistently get wrong about Colorado Springs * Plus so much more Mentioned in this episode: * Green Box Arts [https://greenboxarts.org/]  * Garden of the Gods Market and Cafe [https://godsmarketandcafe.com/] * Ivywild [https://www.ivywildschool.com/] * Sushi Row [https://www.sushi-row.com/] * Ristorante del Lago [https://www.broadmoor.com/dining/ristorante-del-lago] * Stratton Open Space [https://coloradosprings.gov/stratton] & Mount Cutler Trail [https://www.visitcos.com/directory/mount-cutler/] * Penrose Heritage Museum [https://www.elpomar.org/About-Us/museum-and-legacy-properties/penrose-heritage-museum/] * Sara Van Hecke  [https://www.saravanhecke.com/] * The Peaks2Plains Weather App [https://peaks2plainsweather.com/] We Love Our Sponsors Pikes Peak Library District Summer Adventure Program [https://ppld.org/summer]— All you have to do is spend 30 days reading, creating, and exploring to win prizes. Vanguard Aesthetics [https://vanguardskin.com/aesthetics/injectables/botox-cosmetic/] — Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results. Core Collective [https://corecollectivecos.com/] — Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30.  Connect with us: Leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and share with a fellow Colorado Springs local who needs to know what's going on in this city.

Unpacking the Colorado Springs Lore of Spencer and Julie Penrose

Did a monkey bite really launch the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo? Did Spencer Penrose actually ride his horse into the Antlers Hotel lobby? And why is the Shrine of the Sun named after Will Rogers instead of the man who built it? In this episode of Springs and Things, host Carly Ries sits down with Sarah Woods, Vice President of Collections for El Pomar Foundation, to dig into the archives and separate Colorado Springs legend from fact. As the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo celebrates its 100th anniversary, Sarah pulls back the curtain on some of the wildest, most fascinating stories in our city's history and reveals what the primary source records actually say. This is one of our most information-packed episodes to date, covering everything from a mysterious box of 1940s newspaper-wrapped clothing to a crash car sitting in a museum exactly how it landed on Pikes Peak. In this episode, you'll learn: → The real reason Spencer Penrose's exotic animals were moved off the Broadmoor Golf Course, and yes, the monkey bite was real → How a 21-year-old Spencer Penrose wrote a Harvard thesis that still guides El Pomar Foundation's mission today → The story behind the Heritage Gallery's never-before-seen photographs, hats, and personal artifacts of Spencer and Julie Penrose → How Michèle Mouton became the only woman to earn the title King of the Mountain, and why she insists on keeping that title → The harrowing 2012 crash on Pikes Peak and what the wreckage reveals about safety, thin air, and the psychological demands of the race → Why Julie Penrose created the original El Pomar Carriage Museum in 1941, and how a newspaper clipping from the 1920s changed everything we thought we knew about its origins → The connection between Spencer Penrose's cancer diagnosis and the founding of the Penrose Cancer Center at Glockner Hospital → Why the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun bears that name, and how Spencer Penrose's promotional genius may have played a role → What Penrose Heritage Museum has planned for families, accessibility, and community programming Resources Mentioned: - Penrose Heritage Museum [https://www.elpomar.org/About-Us/museum-and-legacy-properties/penrose-heritage-museum/] - El Pomar Foundation [https://www.elpomar.org/] - United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum [https://usopm.org/] Subscribe to Springs and Things on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so you never miss an episode. If you loved this one, leave a five-star review and share it with a friend who loves Colorado Springs history and lore.