"We really are knocking it out of the park," he said. "It's just tremendous."”

Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman

BLACK HAWK — Another Central City business is heading down the hill to Black Hawk, where the rent is hard to beat.

At its October 28, 2026, meeting, Black Hawk City Council unanimously approved Resolution 62-2026, a three-year lease with Mountain Heart Gallery, LLC, for a storefront at 221 Gregory Street.

The gallery, owned by Debby Rice, will feature handmade goods from local artisans. It follows Golden Rose Antiques, another business that recently relocated from Central City to Black Hawk.

Black Hawk is making it pretty easy for businesses to get started.

The city is offering a $465 monthly credit through its Growth and Success Incentive Program, which brings the $505 rent down to about $40 a month, with annual adjustments. The credit continues through December 2028. The lease runs through October 2029.

Black Hawk has been working hard to get people into its shops along Gregory Street, and the Halloween Street and Fall Festival events seem to be doing just that.

At the previous council meeting, Special Events and Marketing Manager Valerie Ryan reported nearly 5,000 visitors, more than 2.2 million social media views, and businesses seeing record sales. 

Mayor David Spellman was pretty excited about it Wednesday.

"We really are knocking it out of the park," he said. "It's just tremendous."

The City is now gearing up for the upcoming holiday season. Council recently approved spending up to $338,661.91 with Alpine Artisan Studios for holiday decorations, including six refurbished horse-drawn sleighs, new lighting, and decorations throughout the district. The tree lights will be adjustable for different colors and seasons, and Ryan is planning a self-guided winter wonderland walk in December.

The final Halloween celebration takes place on Saturday, October 31, 2026, and apparently there's friendly competition between City departments over their decorations and contributions to the event. 

Spellman joked that the police, fire, and public works departments have been trying to outdo each other. Someone from the fire department was even spotted shopping for a fog machine.

"We may have to have awards in the future," he said.

Central City reaches out about Red Bus

There may also be some movement in the ongoing Red Bus disagreement between the two cities.

The Red Bus is a free shuttle service that transports residents and visitors between Black Hawk and Central City, providing convenient access to casinos, restaurants, and shops in both towns.

It stopped running between the two cities after Central City ended the agreement over cost concerns from casino owners, since the bus was funded by gaming device taxes.

But then Central City revisited the notion and approached Black Hawk to renegotiate the terms.

City Manager Lance Hillis told council that Central City has reached out to Black Hawk about discussing the shuttle service again.

In August, Black Hawk offered to take over the shuttle costs and pay Central City $500,000 as part of a larger proposal involving the Briggs Lot and other property. Central City was interested in continuing the bus service but wasn't willing to agree to the land conditions.

Hillis said Black Hawk's position hasn't changed. Any agreement to resume the shuttle service, or other cooperation between the cities, would require resolving the Briggs Lot issue.

"So, I think we'll see where these discussions go," he said.

The next Black Hawk City Council meeting has been moved from November 11 to November 18 to allow time for Red Bus discussions with Central City. A budget work session will begin at 2 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at City Hall, 211 Church Street, Central City.