YOUR COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Thank you to our 2024 Partners
Broomfield Days Trade Show Partners:
Aire Serv of the Front Range ·Century Communities ·Colorado
Krav Maga ·Ent Credit Union ·FNBO ·Jax Outdoor Gear ·Planet Fitness ·Sunflower Bank
Annual Event Partners:
Oracle ·HunterDouglas ·AdventHealth Avista ·United Power· Horizons North Credit Union ·McWhinney· Adams 12 School District
Women in Business Event
EmpowHer is ahalfday event aimedat elevating thevoices of women, celebrating their achievements,and driving positive change in the business landscape. Featuring dynamic guestspeakers anda vendor fair.
The Broomfield Area Chamber, serving the greater Broomfield and north metro area, is where business meets community Each year, the Chamber holds 100+ events and networking mixers We also work every day to support, connect, and advocate for our members and the larger business community
Schedule of events
September in Broomfield is special It’s a month celebrating the vibrant community with its biggest event of the year. Neighbors gather for two days of fun for a fall festival jam-packed with live entertainment, vintage cars, pint-sized clowns, concessions, carnival games, pony rides, a petting zoo and more.
Broomfield Days returns to Midway Park (Midway Boulevard and Kohl Street) Sept. 21-22and kicks off Saturday with a pancake breakfast, followed by some good old-fashioned exercise as runners line up for the Mayor’s Cup 5K and 1Mile Road Race. Then the whole community gathers as the annual parade marches down Midway Boulevard
After the parade, guests can explore hundreds of vendor booths, food trucks, doggies diving off docks and more. There will also be a duck race, inflatables for kids to jump on, farm animals looking for pets and snuggles, and live performances on three stages
From left: Jeff Jones, Michael Blackwood and Nancy Clark, of the Rotary Club of Broomfield Crossing, cook breakfast during Broomfield Days in 2023. Broomfield Days celebrates the community every year
9a.m.: Concessions and carnival games, pony rides, petting zoo; Midway Boulevard
9a.m.: Arts and Crafts Festival, Trade Fair, Food Booths; Midway Boulevard 10a.m.: Community Parade marches down Midway, awards immediately follow; Reviewing Stage 11a.m.: Legacy Poms; Demonstration Stage
BROOMFIELD DAYS LINEUP
7p.m.: Rotary Club of Broomfield Crossing Bingo; Main Stage 7-10a.m.: Rotary Club of Broomfield Crossing breakfast, Midway Park Girl Scout Shelter; $6-$12, kids ages 5and under eat free.
8a.m.: Broomfield Days Car Show; Midway Boulevard
8:20a.m.: Mayor’s Cup 5K and 1 Mile Road Race kicks off; Reviewing Stage
11a.m.: Iluminar Aerial; Performance Stage
11:30a.m.: Elite Dance Academy; Demonstration Stage Noon: FRIENDS of Broomfield; Demonstration Stage 12:30p.m.: Broomfield Jazzercise; Demonstration Stage 11:30a.m.-1:30p.m.: Globalsound Studio Music Academy Student Rock Bands; Main Stage
PHOTOS BY CLIFF GRASSMICK — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Members of the American Military Association, dressed up in period uniforms, march in the Broomfield Days parade last year.
Call the Grand Master a Grand Marshal
By Corbett Stevenson cstevenson @prairiemountainmedia.com
From humble farmhouse beginnings to becoming a martial arts trailblazer, Renee Sereff has more than earned her spot as this year’s Broomfield Days Grand Marshal.
Sereff was born in Broomfield, on a farm just north of Midway and Main Street, her first job was at the A&W on U.S Route 287 and Emerald Street, and she graduated from Broomfield High in 1963 — Broomfield is truly woven into her roots.
“My father was born here, as well, on the same property, so it’s been generation after generation in Broomfield,” she said.
Her children and grandchildren still live in the area, and stay connected to the community
“My only regret with this nomination is that my parents aren’t
here to see it, I would love it if my folks could be here,” said Sereff
Sereff said that growing up as a “farm kid” was a unique upbringing, and she has fond memories of her work on her family’s land. Although the land was sold years ago, Sereff said the family will always have roots in the county.
“Broomfield has its own character,” she said. “Growing up in this little town is where I got my values of working hard and never stopping. Obstacles don’t mean anything, you just find a solution.”
That work ethic and attitude is what she’s sought to pass on to her students at Sereff Taekwon-Do, where she’s been the owner and instructor at the Broomfield martial arts studio for nearly 50 years
Taekwondo is a style of Korean unarmed self-defense developed in the 1940s, and Sereff has made a name for herself in the sport by
becoming the first woman in the United States Taekwondo Federation to achieve the rank of Grand Master.
To become a Grand Master and achieve the highest rank in the discipline, a person must achieve a ninth or 10th-degree black belt. Sereff, who as nine black belts, said it took her over 40 years of consistent work and training to reach this title of great honor. She earned her title in 2011.
“The reason I love taekwondo is the discipline, the courtesy, the integrity,” she said “You ask kids today what the word ‘integrity’ means and they can’t tell you, you have to show them. It’s something you can’t buy, you can’t sell and if you lose it you can’t get it back.”
Sereff said that her childhood set her up for success in taekwondo.
“Having that work ethic really helped me,” Sereff said. “You’re not counting on anybody but yourself. I’m my own destiny, so to speak. That’s what taekwondo gave me.”
Sereff and her late ex-husband, Charles Sereff (who also achieved Grand Master), have had hundreds of students and dozens of instructors come through the doors of their studio.
“(Sereff) is amazing, she’s a very good instructor and she’s very charismatic,” said Kirk Steadman,
who met Sereff through the studio. “She sticks to the way our founder taught us, she stays very true to his teachings.”
The founder of the International Taekwon-Do Federation, Choi Hong-Hi, is credited with bringing the martial art around the world in the 1950s
“Even more than that, she’s very compassionate and understanding,” Steadman said. “She wants everyone to do things to the best of their abilities She’s really giving, sponsoring students who can’t afford to go to camps and things like that. I really admire her.”
Louise Fox was an instructor at the studio, and echoed Steadman’s statements, agreeing that Sereff is an incredible instructor — but said she is also a star outside of the gym.
PHOTOS BY CLIFF GRASSMICK — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Renee Sereff teaches during her taekwondo class on Aug. 28. Sereff is this year’s Broomfield Days Parade Grand Marshal
Renee Sereff hangs out with the taekwondo studio cat, Bow
Marshal
FROM PAGE 8
“She always makes sure her students feel comfortable and welcome,” Fox said. “She’ll bake everyone cookies on the days of their tests, and encourage them to celebrate their accomplishments.”
Through her trailblazing work in taekwondo, Sereff has traveled the world as a referee and a competitor, lending her skills and expertise to practitioners across the globe.
But at the end of the day, there’s nowhere she’d rather be than at home in Broomfield.
“I feel I’m so intertwined in the Broomfield community — it’s like a tapestry,” she said. “I could never move, I don’t care what happens.”
The Grand Marshal of the Broomfield Days is an esteemed honor. Residents are nominated and voted for by the community. The winning resident rides in front at the Broomfield Days parade and is recognized on stage.
PHOTOS BY CLIFF GRASSMICK — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Renee Sereff is a trailblazing taekwondo martial artist, leading the way for women in the sport. The Broomfield resident is this year’s Broomfield Days Parade Grand Marshal
Renee Sereff teaches a taekwondo class in her Broomfield studio on Aug. 28. Sereff is this year’s Broomfield Days Parade Grand Marshal.
Renee Sereff has been teaching at her taekwondo studio for nearly 50 years in Broomfield.
Island life in Broomfield
Rocky Mountain Polynesians expand the cultural offerings at Broomfield Days
By Corbett Stevenson cstevenson
@prairiemountainmedia.com
The volcanic mountains and clear blue waters of Hawaii sound like a far-off dream from Colorado’s dry summers, but at Broomfield Days, the Rocky Mountain Polynesians are bringing a piece of Hawaii to town as one of the acts on this year’s demo stage
“We’re a small troupe, there’s only four or five of us, plus a musician,” said Darlene Meiden, a member of the group. “We do Polynesian dances, not just hula, as well as Maori dances from New Zealand.”
Rocky Mountain Polynesians have been performing as a dance troupe for decades, and members travel around the Front Range to
put on shows at celebrations and to teach classes. At Broomfield Days, Meiden said she’ll be teaching one of the group’s most popular classes. The group will hit the stage at 3 p.m. Sept. 21, and the dance members’ slot on the demo stage is one of many, with other performers slated to entertain the crowds all day that Saturday.
“In the hula fitness class we don’t teach a hula, but instead use the hula steps to dance to really fun music and get a workout,” she said.
In addition to the hula fitness
EDITOR’S NOTE
Broomfield Enterprise would like to thank the Broomfield Photo Club for its clown contest, car show photo submissions.
class, the troupe will perform hula to “Nani Waiʻaleʻale,” a song about Mount Waiʻaleʻale, which is one of Kauai’s highest points — and has been called one of the wettest places on earth. The name Waiʻaleʻale means “rippling water” or “overflowing water,” which speaks to the pristine lake that sits
at the top of the mountain.
“It talks about how the mountain is very lush and green, and the breezes are scented with the fragrance of mokihana berries and lauae ferns,” Meiden said, referencing some of Kauai’s native flora.
PHOTOS BY CLIFF GRASSMICK — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Elizabeth Frazier, left, and her daughter Andrea Badiola perfect their moves in a dance class taught by Darlene Hokuli’i Meiden on Aug. 27.
Darlene Hokuli’i Meiden teaches a dance class on Aug. 27. The Rocky Mountain Polynesian dance troop will be performing at this year’s Broomfield Days.
Performers
FROM PAGE 10
The hula paired with traditional Hawaiian music tells a story, one that Meiden said people are excited for, and open to learning about different cultures.
“People are so hungry now for culture, I think they’re very open to it and very curious,” she said.
Rocky Mountain Polynesians will be performing on the demo stage at 3 p.m. Sept. 21 right after Broomfield’s Hula Class, which is on stage at 2:30 p.m. For more information on the dance troupe, visit rmpohana.com.
Other acts on the demo stage will include Legacy Poms, the cheerleading group from Legacy High School. The stage will also see Elite Dance Academy, a dance school based in Broomfield. Other dancers performing later that day include Dance Arts Studio, Taps ‘N Toes and Live Love Dance.
Broomfield Jazzercise, FRIENDS of Broomfield and Ripple Effect Martial Arts will also take the stage.
Performances begin Saturday at 11 a.m.
Stage for song
Among the festivities at the annual Broomfield Days celebration is a group of performances on the main stage, east of the fire station Opening on the main stage at 11:30 a.m. will be Globalsound Studio Music Academy Rock Bands Globalsound Studio, located in Broomfield, has been around for
CLIFF GRASSMICK STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Debbie Silver practices during a dance class taught by Darlene Hokuli’i Meiden on Aug 27 The Rocky Mountain Polynesian dance troop will be performing at this year’s Broomfield Days
over 20 years. The rock band program at the studio is headed by studio owner Mateo MacDonald, who uses his expertise and ties to the Front Range community to train dozens of rock bands
At 2:15, Istari from Chadzilla Music will take the main stage The studio headed by local artist Chad Johnson specializes in rock and roll.
Closing out the day of live music will be the Hot Lunch Band, which will take their turn on the main stage from 3-6 p.m. Specializing in hard-core funk and dance music, the Denver-based band has been entertaining audiences since the ‘80s The funky sound captivates audiences and dancing is always encouraged.
Divisions:
1-4 year olds, 5-6 year olds, 7-9 year olds A 4 foot Tall Stuffed Panda Bear
BIKES/SCOOTERS AWARDED
GRAND PRIZE: FOR 1ST AND 2ND PRIZE IN EACH DIVISION. PRIZES for all contestants
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FILE PHOTO
Drummers Ed Contreras and Chadzilla make up Istari. The band plays the roots of modern American music.
Sweet rides
By Corbett Stevenson cstevenson @prairiemountainmedia.com
The annual Broomfield Days car show has been dazzling attendees and uniting the classic car community for decades, and this year will be no exception.
The car show began in 2002 when the American Automobile Association (AAA) rolled its auto club through a senior center to check on residents’ cars for safety. On one of those occasions, Broomfield resident Tom Fahrenbruch was asked to call in some friends with classic cars and hot rods to make the safety check a fun event, and since it has become an annual affair.
“I had about six guys come up and bring their cars, and afterwards they asked me to start a car show,” Fahrenbruch said. “I said ‘do you have any idea how much work that is?’ But I said I’d see what I could put together.”
It was 2003 that marked the first official year of the car show, one that Fahrenbruch revved up with the help of volunteers and his years of experience arranging car shows for a club in Los Angeles. After two years, the show was moved from April to September to be a part of the annual Broomfield Days celebrations
“I agreed to move the show to Broomfield Days, and the rest is history,” he said.
Fahrenbruch went on to be in-
volved with the car show for 17 years, always making sure to add a personal touch to the show by greeting and meeting every person who brought their antique cars to put on display. He credits that personal touch for part of what makes the car show so special, and what keeps it as having a hometown feel,
even with hundreds of participants.
“It got to where it would take me two or three hours to just make one loop around the show because I knew so many people in the business,” he said. “But I think it was really special to them, to have that personal feel.”
ALICIA HOEGH — COURTESY PHOTO
Broom
South Midway
Broomfield Days will host its annual car show on Sept. 21, featuring classic cars from local enthusiasts on the lawn at South Midway Park
Car Show
FROM PAGE 14
Fahrenbruch said that all of the profits from the show will benefit area programs for seniors in Broomfield. After Fahrenbruch’s
tenure of managing the show for almost two decades, he passed the torch to the Broomfield Senior Resource Board.
The resource board uses the funds to support seniors through a program called SRBCares, which is run by an organization that
your pets live life to the fullest It is our
veterinary care throughout the life of your companion animal Our services and facilities are
and
LONNIE MERCER — COURTESY PHOTO
CAR SHOW » PAGE 20
Little jesters
Kids bring the sweet charm to the long-running contest
By Corbett Stevenson cstevenson @prairiemountainmedia.com
Each year during Broomfield Days, dozens of hopeful children dressed in bright costumes and clown makeup line up for the popular clown contest.
The unique costumes range from the traditional curly wigs in every color of the rainbow, accessorized with big, red foam noses to elaborate get-ups featuring pint-sized jesters sitting among elaborate props, like a bathtub filled with balloons as bubbles.
The contest, hosted by The Westminster-Broomfield Optimist Club, began 43 years ago and is still heralded as one of Broomfield Days’ main events.
“You would not believe what some of these parents do, it probably takes them over an hour to put the makeup on their kids,” said Debbie Cooper-George, who helps organize the contest “They could be professionals doing this.”
She said one of her favorite acts in recent memory was a baby, competing in the youngest age category, sat in a fake bathtub full of
The annual Clown Contest at Broomfield Days hits the stage at 1 p.m. on Sept. 21at Midway Park.
clear balloons that looked like bubbles. Cooper-George said the act was complete with music, rubber ducks and fake soap to sell the look
A former pillar of Broomfield, Marlene Politzer, founded the clown contest. Politzer was the former director of Broomfield’s
CARL MUEHLEMEYER — COURTESY PHOTO
Pint-sized Broomfield residents will be dressed up as clowns at the annual Clown Contest at Broomfield Days. Find the mini-jesters on stage at 1p.m. on Sept. 21at Midway Park.
BILL MATHE — COURTESY PHOTO
Clowns
FROM PAGE 16
Bal Swan Children’s Center where she was the first teacher and pioneer in shaping the inclusive learning facility. Cooper-George said that Politzer was “a clown at heart,” and started the contest because she loved dressing up as a clown, acting silly and having fun After Politzer passed away in 2011, the Optimist Club took over and continued the clown contest in her honor.
“(Politzer) was a person who was always sparkling inside and out, she always matched from head to toe and had a smile and a hug for everybody,” Lyn King, a recently re-
tired teacher at Bal Swan said. “Her model was to see the good in every person, and she really lived that.”
King has helped organize the judging for the competition and said that how the contest is judged to this day is all thanks to Politzer’s legacy
“We always looked for the kid with that extra sparkle, that was just extra joyful,” she said “There’s always a few that just stand out among the rest.”
The contest offers an opportunity for kids to break out of their shells and have fun — no matter how shy or reserved they are. Kids can get in costume, put on a funny face and act like a clown for hours — and everyone loves the performances
CLOWNS » PAGE 18
Clowns
FROM PAGE 17
Cooper-George said that each contestant takes the stage in their costume and either tells a joke or acts out a skit, while some break out in song or bust out the dance moves. One of the more memorable acts, Cooper-George said, included a strongman act where the child donned fake muscles, the iconic pinstripe bodysuit and a large mustache.
Another entry, she recalled, was a Laurel and Hardy duo where the children impersonated the classical Hollywood-era British-American comedians, complete with slapstick comedy and jokes.
“It’s a no-pressure opportunity for the kids to do something, and everyone walks away with something,” she said.
Cooper-George said everyone is a winner at Broomfield Days. She said every contestant who enters the competition leaves with a stuffed animal. And the top two contestants in each age category (1 to 3 year olds, 4 to 6 year olds and
7 to 9 year olds) will be crowned first and second place — and each get new bicycles.
This year will be the contest’s first year at a new time slot, 1 p.m at the demo stage at Midway Park on Sept. 21.
“It’s so precious,” Cooper-George said, “I mean who doesn’t love to see kids having so much fun?”
TIM SEIBERT — COURTESY PHOTO Mini-clowns will take over the stage at Broomfield Days on Sept. 21at Midway Park.
PHYLLIS A. BROWN — COURTESY PHOTO
Broomfield Days 2023took place over the weekend and brought in dozens of little clowns for its annual kid’s clown contest
Families, bring your kids by booth #383
(Blue Tents - northeast side of Midway) for some interactive fun!
Teaching Generation after Generation
Car Show
FROM PAGE 15
includes services like an adopt-asenior program that helps fulfill seniors’ Christmas wish lists. The group — which calls itself advocates for older adult needs with the City and County of Broomfield — also works with creative volunteers to make “busy blankets,” hand-sewn blankets with fidget toys and items for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s to keep their hands busy and help relieve anxiety Fahrenbruch has been part of the classic car community for decades and he owns a 1926 Ford Model T roadster. He said that the tight-knit community within the car show and its enthusiasts is part of what makes the group so special.
“People showed up not only to support the show, but because they wanted to support the seniors,” he said
Karen Steele is another Broomfield resident involved in the car show, and agreed that the community holds a special place in her heart.
“Car shows are a great place to meet your fellow neighbors,” she said “It’s just so much fun to see them year after year, it’s a great hobby and it’s fun to see that passion.”
Steele owns a ‘57 Chevrolet Bel Air, named Trixie, and said that for all of the car shows and events she travels to, the Broomfield Days
car show has always been important to her.
Steele has worked as a judge at the annual show, making her responsible for helping to pick out the best and brightest of the bunch. She said that although all of the cars are equally impressive, what mattered was their stories Steele said she always looks for something special in the winner.
“I don’t look for the perfect car, I look for the car that has a story,” she said “I can’t even remember what type of car won, but I remember it had been in the family for a while. The current owner had been taken home from the hospital in that car as a baby. It was really about the story.”
Steele added: “I just love the hometown feel, getting to see our friends and community is what we look forward to. And we look forward to supporting senior resources, as well, so it’s a good cause and we really enjoy it.”
JOE BAMMANN — COURTESY PHOTOS
Broomfield Days is rolling in the unique antiques for its annual car show on Sept. 21.
The car show has been dazzling Broomfield for two decades, bringing in a slew of old cars and hot rods from car enthusiasts
Renee Kozisek Sereff is the Grand Marshall for 2024 Broomfield Days!
Schedule
FROM PAGE 4
1p.m.: Optimist Clown Contest; Demonstration Stage
2p.m.: Duck Races (Register at Pink Z, Race held North of Girl Scout Shelter); Midway Boulevard
2p.m.: Dance Arts Studio; Demonstration Stage
2:30p.m.: Broomfield’s Hula Class; Demonstration Stage
2:15-2:45p.m.: Istari, a tribal drumming duo playing world music; Main Stage
3:30p.m.: Live Love Dance; Demonstration Stage
4p.m.: Taps ‘N Toes; Demonstration Stage
3-6p.m.: Hot Lunch Band, playing Denver funk; Main Stage
3p.m.: Rocky Mountain Polynesians; Demonstration Stage
4:30p.m.: Ripple Effect Martial Arts; Demonstration Stage
Bow Wow Broomfield
Saturday
8a.m.: Rocky Mountain Dock Dogs registration/dock open for practice
9a.m.: Big Air Competition Wave 1
11a.m.: Big Air Competition Wave 2
1p.m.: Big Air Competition Wave 3
3:30p.m.: Extreme Vertical Contest
5:30p.m.: Big Air Competition Wave 4
Bow Wow Broomfield
Sunday
8a.m.: Rocky Mountain Dock Dogs registration/dock open for practice
9a.m.: Big Air Competition Wave 5
11:30a.m.: Speed Retrieve Competition
2:30p.m.: Big Air Finals
CLIFF GRASSMICK — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Halie Hotka, of the JAGZ Cheer group, during last year’s parade.
Coldwell Banker Realty
