Some are two story with panel doors and wood windows. One is solar-powered. Another is adobe. Several are split level. Virtually all are fenced.

And all of them are open for visitors this weekend if you want to take a peek!

It’s not a springtime Parade of Homes. It’s the third-annual 2012 Take a Peak Chicken Coop Tour.

This weekend, about 20 coops from Black Forest to Manitou Springs to downtown Colorado Springs will be open for viewing.

Anyone interested in raising chickens is invited to take the free, self-guided tour and learn how to start your own coop.

The tour was the idea of “chickenman” John Conner.

“A couple ladies I worked with got interested in keeping chickens and came over and saw my coop,” John said. “Then they said they’d like to see more.”

So he arranged for a dozen or so folks with chickens to allow folks to see their coops. That was 2010.

“The first year, we had 80 people show,” he said. “Last year, I lost count after 120.”

And that was with mininal advertising.

This year John’s not sure what to expect. He hopes people will learn how easy it is to raise chickens.

“They are pets that give you breakfast,” John said with a laugh.

He started raising them about five years ago and now has five birds. He said they are quiet and no more work than a big dog.

“You have to clean up after them and feed them,” he said. “But they don’t go outside and start barking. They may cluck, but you won’t hear them.”

John created a CoopTourDirectory_2012_draft_2 for tour. It’s 22 pages of photos and tips about raising chickens.

I was intrigued at elaborate coops some build.

John’s coop, at his Shooks Run neighborhood home, is solar-powered with panels on the roof.

Another fellow made his coop out of “cob.”

“Basically, it’s mud and straw,” John said. “And tree limbs and things.”

Then there’s a coop in Black Forest on wheels.

Coops on the tour range from basic plywood to elaborate structures disguised as small cottages or playhouses.

There are a few rules for tour-goers. Don’t bring pets. Don’t scare the chickens. And some coops will only be open for limited times during the weekend.

John also provides information on Colorado Springs codes. For example, residents can have 10 chickens but no roosters in the city. And chicken coop poop must be picked up every few days and kept in a sealed container.

Basic stuff.

Follow this link if you want a  CoopTourMaps_2012, of print one off at John’s website. Or just drop by his house 712 N. Cedar Street east of downtown.

A pet that gives you breakfast, huh? My dog won’t even get me the morning paper!

=====================================

GET A LOOK AT A PET THAT BRINGS YOU BREAKFAST is a post from: Side Streets

Pub crawl, free prizes and cool history . . . need I say more?

If you are a fan of history, as I am, enjoy a cold microbrew and good food at unique restaurants, as I do, then maybe you, too, will want to join one of the most interesting promotions of historic preservation I’ve stumbled upon.

It’s the Historic Buildings Restaurant & Pub Crawl sponsored by the Colorado Springs Historic Preservation Board.

The event is going on all May as part of the celebration of National Preservation Month.

If you don’t care to eat and drink your history lessons, there are other events that will immerse you in the area’s rich history.

This link takes you to a cool then-and-now slide show.

In fact, on Thursday night a tour is scheduled of the old chapel at Evergreen Cemetery with director Will DeBoer.

It will start at 7:30 p.m. at the cemetery, 1005 S. Hancock Expressway, and will include lots of anecdotes and fun facts.

Participants should park outside the cemetery gates, walk to the chapel and bring a sweater and a flashlight.

Next Thursday, May 24, the Pioneers Museum will offer a behind-the-scenes tour, starting at 6 p.m. Museum director Matt Mayberry will lead the after-hours look at the old El Paso County Courthouse, 215 S. Tejon St. Space is limited, so RSVP with an email to Preservation Board staffer Erin McCauley, emccauley@springsgov.com. (The tour may include a trip to the bell tower!)

And at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 27, author Jennifer Wendler Lovell will lead a 1.5-mile walking tour of Wood Avenue. Participants will be able to buy the book she co-wrote: “Exploring the Old North End Neighborhood of Colorado Springs: A Guide to its History and Architecture.”

Those all sound great but I’m most interested in the pub crawl.

The board has compiled a list of 10 restaurant/pubs that occupy historic buildings, mostly downtown, in a pamphlet available on my blog and the city’s website.

On the right is the cover of the brochure:

The restaurants and their buildings are listed with brief descriptions. Visit six of the 10 in May, get a stamp on a postcard, mail it in and be entered to win free stuff!

Mayberry noted the irony of the historic pub crawl.

“If you were to look back at each of the deeds on those properties, you’d find deed restrictions attached prohibiting the sale and distribution of alcohol,” he said, noting Colorado Springs founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer wanted his resort town to be different.

“He didn’t want it become just a typical Western town,” Mayberry said.

If Palmer could see downtown any Friday night, he’d fall off his horse.

“It’s one of the tidbits that makes Colorado Springs unique,” Mayberry said. “Little things you get from historic preservation make the place you live more interesting.”

Here are the inside pages of the brochure and the postcard:

—

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

=========================================================

HIDDEN GEMS, TOURS, PUB CRAWL . . . I LOVE HISTORY is a post from: Side Streets

Peter, Ben and Anna Vogrin with Bill Vogrin

It’s graduation time and I’ve got two soon-to-be grads in my family.

One is leaving college for the Fantasyland of the “real world.” (In fact, Anna has accepted a professional internship with the Walt Disney Co.)

The other is getting a high school diploma to become a professional college student. (Peter has received a scholarship to play soccer.)

Both are major milestones and huge accomplishments.

Like most parents, I’m very proud. And I’m a tad misty at what it means: two of my babies are nearly grown up. (They never will be fully grown, in my mind.)

It also means they are in serious need of some fatherly advice, whether they want it or not. (They don’t.)

With the help of my social media friends, I compiled a list of urgings and exhortations for them and the rest of the cap-and-gown crowd.

Here they are, in no particular order:

Peter, Ben and Anna Vogrin, circa 2001

Don’t worry, be happy. It’s a fun song and great advice. Try to be happy and laugh every chance you get.

And when you aren’t happy, remember what Don Henley sang as he tried to get to the heart of the matter: “I think it’s about forgiveness.”

Laughter and forgiveness will carry you far in life. (I confess they are goals I haven’t always achieved.)

I stress the “don’t worry” stuff because as great as life can be, it also will really suck at times.

No sense in worrying about it. Stuff, as they say, happens. To everyone. Accept that and learn to make the best of bad situations. Your life will be happier, in the long run.

Usually stuff happens because someone made a mistake. Often, mistakes occur when you are taking chances.

Of course, taking chances can result in great success, resulting in laughter and happiness. Don’t be afraid.

Am I making sense yet?

Another reason to laugh as much as possible is because we never know when the laughter will end. Could be in 50 years. Or it could be tomorrow. If today is all you’ve got, do you really want to spend it angry or unhappy?

Which leads me to another suggestion: Make as many friends as possible and spend as much time with them as you can. Time spent with family and friends, even doing nothing, rarely is wasted time.

Challenge yourself. Don’t settle for “good enough.”

Listen to others. Respect their point of view. Consider the chance you are wrong.

Fight for what’s right.

Make good decisions.

Peter, Anna and Ben Vogrin in 2009

Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. They are important dates in the lives of important people.

No one in Nigeria wants to give you $1 million.

No means no.

Drugs ruin lives. So do credit cards. And lies.

Always remember to floss, brush and wash your hands.

Tell the truth.

And, to Anna and Peter (and Ben), never forget: Dad loves you.

========================================================

CONGRATS, GRADS! NOW HERE’S MY ADVICE is a post from: Side Streets