CS Indy

06/03/2025

New in the Independent: The Dress Code—Writer Tiffany Wismer explores why we wear what we wear, what our choices mean, and whether our moms will ever approve.

I was 17 years old. My friends and I were going out to a party, and we had spent a lot of time crafting the perfect outfits for our adventure. It was the 90s, and we’d visited Hot Topic earlier that day. Someone (not me) may have been wearing a pair of vinyl pants. Finally

05/03/2025

The Switchbacks' journey from a mid-table team to USL champions has reshaped Colorado Springs’ sports culture. From a new stadium to a passionate fanbase, their rise is about more than just soccer—it’s about community, connection, and pride. Go Switchbacks! ⚽ 🏆

Ben Currie was in a bad place in 2021. In his mid-20s and fresh out of the military, he found himself unmoored. “I was in the lowest part of my life.” The military, even if it wasn’t the career he wanted long term, had grounded him, given his life structure and meaning. But after he

04/03/2025

Becoming Led Zeppelin dives into the origins of one of rock’s greatest bands with rare interviews, unseen footage, and reflections from Plant, Page, and Jones. 🎸 What's your favorite track?

by Kandace Lytle When I heard about the release of Becoming Led Zeppelin, I thought of the perfect person to invite to a screening — my buddy, Paulie, a fellow Led Head in his 60s whose twenty-year-old son, Aidan, an accomplished guitarist, recently got into Berklee College of Music by playing “...

03/03/2025

For 85 years, the El Paso Canal was the lifeline of Colorado Springs, bringing water to its first settlers and shaping the city’s development. Though much of it now lies buried, remnants of this historic waterway can still be found—if you know where to look.

“There it is,” I point out to a group of UCCS students. Most are underwhelmed as they look at a grass-covered linear depression with few notable characteristics. But armed with some brief historical knowledge of our city’s water projects, and perhaps sensing my own excitement, they slowly gain...

28/02/2025

From Ben Trollinger: I’ve been thinking about the JFK assassination a lot lately. This isn’t unusual for me. I went to high school only a few blocks from Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, the so-called City of Hate long before Colorado Springs was painted with that dubious distinction. At lunchtime, I could — and sometimes did — visit the grassy knoll.

I’ve been thinking about the JFK assassination a lot lately. This isn’t unusual for me. I went to high school only a few blocks from Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, the so-called City of Hate long before Colorado Springs was painted with that dubious distinction. At lunchtime, I could — and s...

27/02/2025

🎭✨ The Manitou Springs Carnivale Parade returns Saturday, March 1, at 1 p.m. on Manitou Avenue!

Last year’s towering 24-foot puppet of Charles Rockey was a showstopper. This year’s creations? Still a mystery. But you can count on a gumbo cook-off, colorful costumes, and plenty of Manitou magic.

Learn More: https://loom.ly/3vKoBHE
Photo: Manitou Springs Carnivale | Courtesy: Visit Manitou Springs

26/02/2025

At The Pouring Parlor, Michaela Hightower is redefining wine education, one sip at a time. Her new tasting room, The Nest, offers monthly wine experiences, each themed by decade—starting with the 1900s.

“Are you looking for the wine thing?” asked a helpful man on the stoop of a house on West Colorado the other evening. I was indeed looking for a wine thing, more specifically, a Curious Palate tasting class being offered in certified sommelier Michaela Hightower’s new location, a quaint 1900-e...

25/02/2025

Ticket sales were up. Membership was up. Everything was on the up. But beneath the success, the Fine Arts Center was drowning in debt. After a 55,000-square-foot expansion in 2007, its director left—along with millions in debt. A decade later, Colorado College stepped in.

Discover the Fine Arts Center’s journey from cultural success to financial crisis and its acquisition by Colorado College. A deep dive into the FAC’s past, present, and future.

24/02/2025

From Hiking Bob: Fremont County is a treasure trove of hiking and cycling trails. From Oil Well Flats to the north to the San Isabel National Forest to the south, there is no shortage of experiences to explore. There are far too many opportunities for me to list them all here; however, I do have my favorites.

Fremont County is a treasure trove of hiking and cycling trails. From Oil Well Flats to the north to the San Isabel National Forest to the south, there is no shortage of experiences to explore. There are far too many opportunities for me to list them all here; however, I do have my favorites. Tanner

21/02/2025

From outdoor adventures to arts, STEM, and sports, Colorado Springs’ 2025 Summer Camp Guide has everything you need to keep your kids engaged and active this summer.

✅ General Day Camps
🎭 Arts & Culture
⚽ Sports & Adventure
🔬 STEM & Educational Camps
🏕️ Outdoor Exploration & Nature Camps

Explore the full guide here: https://loom.ly/zT5a7i4
Don’t wait—spots fill up fast!

20/02/2025

“I think I have to be strong because the idea is that I represent a brave new world. But what if the world isn’t that brave or that new?” – Joy Oladokun

Joy Oladokun brings their OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM tour to The Black Sheep on Feb. 28. The album moves through vibrant gospel, elastic rap, and slick synth-rock, all rooted in folk-pop. Oladokun explores themes of fame, progress, grief, and identity—grappling with what it means to be a Black and LGBTQ+ artist on the world stage.

📅 Friday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m.
📍 The Black Sheep, 2106 E. Platte Ave.

Joy Oladokun brings their folk-pop OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM album tour to Colorado Springs. Catch them live at The Black Sheep on Feb. 28!

20/02/2025

In On Clover Road, a desperate mother meets a cult deprogrammer in a seedy motel room to rescue her runaway daughter. But she soon discovers she’s not remotely prepared for what comes next.

📅 Next performance is February 20— the show runs through March 2.
📍 The Fifty Niner, 2409 W. Colorado Ave.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This production explores intense themes. Viewer discretion is advised.

“The room where they invented misery” is what the script calls for, and Springs Ensemble Theatre certainly succeeded in creating it. The sole window, hastily boarded up, lets in a baking desert breeze. Multicolored graffiti with the sloppy handwriting and crude humor of a child adorns the walls....

17/02/2025

The Holaday and Seagraves Galleries present Alisa Banks: Unerased, an exploration of history, heritage, and identity through textiles, fibers, and multimedia art. Banks' work digs into her ancestral and diasporic pasts, using embroidery, beading, and plant-based materials to challenge the systemic erasure of Black American history. Through root reading, she examines lost narratives, reconnecting cultural knowledge and personal ancestry.

Meet Alisa Banks this Thursday, Feb. 20, Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., 4 p.m. 🎟️ More info: https://loom.ly/7bIx770

Join book, fiber, and multimedia artist Alisa Banks for a discussion of the artwork and inspirations in her show Alisa Banks: Unerased. Banks’s work digs into her ancestral and diasporic […]

14/02/2025

The Heart Sellers closes this Sunday! 🎭 Set in 1973 but strikingly relevant today, this moving story of two first-generation immigrants navigating political uncertainty, friendship, and belonging ends its run on Feb. 16 at Theatreworks.

📅 Final performance: Sunday, Feb. 16 at 4:00 p.m.
📍 Ent Center for the Arts – Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theatre
🎟️ https://loom.ly/2f5TTkI
Read Cannon Taylor's Coverage on The Heart Sellers: https://loom.ly/-Brzp7g

13/02/2025

Great Scott! The Colorado Springs Philharmonic is celebrating 40 years of Back to the Future with a live performance of its iconic score. ⚡🎶

Alan Silvestri’s unforgettable music will be performed in sync with the film, bringing its adventurous spirit to life on stage. From the quiet moments of curiosity to the soaring horns of action, the score remains a defining element of the classic 1985 film.

📅 Feb. 14 & 15 | 🕢 7:30 p.m.
📍 Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.

More Info & Tickets: https://loom.ly/-JiJM3k

12/02/2025

Noel Black explores how unchecked development and the demand for water are accelerating erosion, straining resources, and reshaping our landscape in ways we may never fully understand.

Colorado Springs’ rapid expansion has reshaped the Fountain Creek watershed, accelerating erosion, increasing stormwater runoff, and raising concerns over future water resources. As new developments strain the system, experts like Jim O’Donnell warn of the long-term consequences of unchecked gro...

11/02/2025

Colorado alternative rock band [SALT] confronts grief, self-forgiveness, and personal growth through a mix of grunge, emo, and punk. Their first single, Forgive Me, acknowledges the conflict between our current selves and the skins we’ve grown out of over time. Read more about [SALT] and their journey at csindy.com.

Colorado alternative rock band [SALT] blends grunge, emo, and punk to explore themes of grief, self-forgiveness, and growth. With raw performances and emotional lyricism, they’re carving out a space in the local music scene.

10/02/2025

The new play In Her Bones takes the stage at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs (Feb. 13 – March 2), uncovering the hidden history of crypto-Judaism in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Written by Jessica Kahkoska, the play follows Mia as she unravels generations of family secrets, faith, and identity—exploring how history shapes who we are today.

The world premiere of In Her Bones, a play by Jessica Kahkoska, delves into the history of crypto-Judaism in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Through one woman’s discovery of hidden family traditions, the play explores themes of identity, faith, and heritage.