BLACK HAWK – Family fun, history, and a whole lot of hoopla filled the streets of Black Hawk on Saturday, June 28, as the city celebrated its 2025 Founders Day. 

The event, hosted in the History, Appreciation, and Recreation (HARD) District, brought together locals, tourists, and time-traveling reenactors to honor the gold-hunting pioneers who sparked Black Hawk’s beginnings 165 years ago.

Mayor David Spellman kicked things off with a spirited welcome, joking that with so many festive offerings this year, “we almost need to rename this Founders Festival… but we’ll keep ‘Founders Day’ so we can still fit the words on our commemorative beer cans.”

Spellman gave the crowd a crash course in local history, recalling how three men from Rock Island, Illinois—William L. Lee, Dr. Frederick H. Judd, and Milo Lee—arrived in 1860 and built the Black Hawk Mill. The mill's success launched a gold rush boom that put Black Hawk on the map. By 1864, Black Hawk became Colorado’s second-oldest incorporated city.

To bring that legacy to life, “Lee, Judd, and Lee” returned...sort of. Actors dressed as the trio performed a dramatic and humorous retelling of the town’s founding, from their 800-mile ox-drawn journey to the engineering marvel of the Black Hawk Mill, which once churned through 30 tons of ore daily. 

The celebration didn’t end with history. Music, contests, and family-friendly fun kept the streets active all day. 

Sugar Britches, Queen Bees, and Sisters of Rock turned up the tunes, while the Kind Mountain Band offered a breezy afternoon set.

Guests competed in a costume contest as cowboys, brothel madams, and a goth-plaza fashionista who vied for crowd applause.

Near the plaza, free activities such as face painting, a photo booth, balloon animals, and gold panning drew families. 

Grass-Fed Guardians brought a yak named Murray, who was well-behaved and photogenic. Anthony Ricketts and his partner Samantha raised Murray indoors for a time when he was young, cultivating his domestication. He still tries to come indoors sometimes, the pair said. 

Vendors lined the plaza with a wide range of items, from hydro-dipped tumblers and handmade soap to Mama Roo's food truck delicacies and Julianna Korman's homemade sourdough bread. 

Local authors chatted with readers about unsolved Colorado mysteries and mining swindles. 

One prospector shared tales of real gold flakes (for sale) and detailed guides to legal digging sites.

And for those drawn to the boomtown theatrics, the Colorado Wild Bunch staged an old-time shootout, with safety tips first, naturally. 

Guns fired black powder and biscuits, and a skit called “One, Two, Four” brought confusion, comedy, and a whole lot of shouting. 

“Why did you shoot me?” one actor hollered. “Because you remind me of my ex-wife!” came the reply.

Cheers went to the Infamous Backroom Cabaret Dancers, whose lively performance was pure entertainment.

As the day wound down and the music wrapped up, the festivities offered a deeper appreciation for the scrappy spirit that built Black Hawk from the gulch up.

“Let’s give it up one more time for Lee, Judd, and Lee!” Spellman shouted from the mic.

And the crowd did...big hoots and all.