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(Photo from Shutterstock.com) June 27, 2025 | NORTHERN COLORADO’S WEEKLY LOCAL INDEPENDENT | Vol. 33, N. 11 SEE THE STORY: PAGES 12-13 EXPLORE OUR LATEST PROMOTION TODAY! HIKING • FISHING • CAMPING • CLOTHING & FOOTWEAR • KITCHEN • GIFTS • FARM & RANCH • HARDWARE • GARDEN FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1955 | LAFAYETTE | BROOMFIELD | LOVELAND | FORT COLLINS | JAXGOODS.com SCAN HERE SPACE BOUND Fort Collins Teen Completes Prestigious NASA Space CampThe Samples perform for a sold out crowd on June 18, 2025 at Fort Collins Nursery's Rock Garden Stage. (Photo by Blaine Howerton)June 27, 2025 week of © 2025 North Forty News New SCENE Weekly All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, incluiding photocopying or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by the copyright law. For permission requests, write to the editor, addressed “Permissions”, at the address below. info@northfortynews.com NorthFortyNews.com The views expresses in this publication are those of the respective contributor and are not necessarily shared by the company or its staff.Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing The Samples perform live at the Rock Garden Concert Series at Fort Collins Nursery. As always, they were energetic, soulful, and unforgettable. It was a sold-out crowd — hundreds of us gathered in a serene garden setting, surrounded by towering trees and warm summer air. I’ve been attending these concerts for years, and they never disappoint. One year it rained — and I still loved every second of it. There’s just something special about sharing music with your community, outdoors, under Colorado skies. These kinds of concerts are happening all over Northern Colorado. From tucked-away venues like the Rock Garden to patios, breweries, parks, and even open fields, our local music scene is alive and well. Whether you’re in the mood for an acoustic set at a cozy bar or a full- blown festival experience, something is going on just about every day of the week. Speaking of great shows in beautiful settings, keep an eye out for Trace Bundy, who will be playing a fundraiser concert for The Vegetable Connection at Fort Collins Nursery. There’s an ad in this week’s edition, and we’ll have a whole story in next week’s issue. It’s sure to be another memorable night under the stars. It’s a great reminder of why this place is such a joy to call home. Music brings people together — and in Northern Colorado, we’ve got the perfect soundtrack. See you out there. —Blaine Howerton Publisher, North Forty News PUBLISHER’S LETTER BY BLAINE HOWERTON Your support helps us provide coverage of Northern Colorado communities. Support North Forty News in the following ways: • Advertise - ads@northfortynews.com • Donate - northfortynews.com/donate-now • READ - northfortynews.com/this-week Music in the Garden, and All Around NoCoThe Rock Garden Concert Series is held at Fort Collins Nursery in the evenings during the summer. (Photo by Blaine Howerton)Content Fort Collins Fort Collins, at the foothills of the Rockies, is Northern Colorado’s vibrant heart. Known for its historic Old Town, craft beer scene, and outdoor recreation, it blends urban energy with small-town charm. Home to Colorado State University, it’s a hub for innovation, culture, and community. JAPANESE BEETLE BLUES 8-9 SHARPEN YOUR STRATEGY WITH SMARTER CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION AND TARGETING 10-11 FORT COLLINS TEEN REPRESENTS NORTHERN COLORADO AMONG ELITE GROUP OF NATIONAL YOUTH AT AVIATION CHALLENGE 12-13 WHERE TO GET THE BEST WINGS IN FORT COLLINS: JIM’S WINGS DELIVERS BIG FLAVOR IN CAMPUS WEST 14-15 MUSEUM OF ART FORT COLLINS LAUNCHES THREE PROVOCATIVE SUMMER EXHIBITIONS 16 FORT COLLINS FILM SHOWCASE SPOTLIGHTS WOMEN CREATORS JULY 16 17 MAN CHARGED AFTER OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING 23 FIRST MOSQUITO SAMPLE OF THE SEASON TESTS POSITIVE FOR WEST NILE IN FORT COLLINS 28 We Love your Photos! Send yours to photos@northfortynews.com. We will share them.Content Northern Colorado’s Weekend Forecast Hot Friday & Saturday, Storm-Tinged Sunday Friday brings mostly sunny skies and a high near 92°F, with light afternoon winds and a clear evening around 57°F Saturday is another scorcher, peaking at 93°F, although a 20% chance of afternoon showers or storms may develop. Overnight lows hover near 58°F. Sunday cools slightly to a high of 87°F, but storm chances climb to 30% after noon. Red Feather Red Feather Lakes, a mountain village in the Roosevelt National Forest, offers rustic charm, scenic lakes, and a strong sense of community. Known for year- round recreation, it’s a haven for nature lovers and weekend adventurers. MOUNTAIN VILLAGE HOSTS ALL-DAY JULY 5 CELEBRATION 24 LARIMER COUNTY EXPANDS WILDFIRE MITIGATION EFFORTS WITH CONTINUED COMMUNITY INVESTMENT 26 Greeley Greeley, a dynamic city in Northern Colorado, is rich in agricultural heritage and cultural diversity. A ZESTY SUMMER FAVORITE, STRAIGHT FROM MY KITCHEN 19 GREELEY NAMED ONE OF COLORADO’S TOP ECONOMIC SIGNAL CITIES 22 GREELEY POLICE INVESTIGATE SHOOTING AT UNIVERSITY INN 27NorthFortyNews.com Page: 8June 27, 2025 EDITORIAL: Andrew Scott | The Gardens on Spring Creek CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE. JAPANESE BEETLE BLUES If your garden has roses, grapes, hibiscus, hollyhocks, or cannas, they could be in for a world of hurt in the coming months. Active from mid-June through August, Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) are an unfortunately persistent pest in Northern Colorado with a voracious appetite for several ornamental perennials, annuals, and food crops. These destructive beetles first arrived in the United States in 1916, likely through a shipment of Japanese nursery stock that landed in New Jersey. It was thought they would remain an East Coast pest, unable to contend with the arid conditions of the West. While this was technically true, beetle eggs hitched yet another ride in nursery stock out west to where irrigated gardens and turf gave them the oases they needed. By the early 1990s, they were established in Colorado. Adults emerge from the soil in mid-June, and populations peak in July. They are thankfully easy to identify; about the size of a fingernail, these scarabs have shiny green heads and midbodies, bronze wing covers, and white spots/tufts around their sides. They also conspicuously skeletonize plants, eating all the tissue between the leaf’s vasculature and leaving lacey ghosts. After they have fed and mated, a female beetle will lay about 50 eggs in moist turfgrass areas throughout her life. After A Yellow Rose Heavily Infested And Being Devoured By Japanese Beetles (Photo from Shutterstock.com)NorthFortyNews.comPage: 9June 27, 2025 Six stunning sculptures. One inspiring journey through nature, friendship, and healing. Peace Walking is organized by Denver Botanic Gardens. may 2 - aug . 17 2025 The Gardens on Spring Creek | 2145 Centre Ave, Fort Collins, CO | 970.416.2486 | fcgov.com/gardens hatching, grubs will feed on turf roots and cause dead patches, hibernate over winter, and pupate the following spring to start the whole cycle over again. So what can you do? As with all pest management, there are mechanical, chemical, and biological controls available. One commonly recommended method is to hand-pick beetles off plants in the morning, when they are less active, and knock them into a bucket of soapy water to drown. This is a great option for homeowners with small infestations. While traps are commercially available, I wouldn’t recommend them. The sexual pheromone they use works a little too well, attracting beetles from all over the neighborhood to your yard, where they’ll stop at the leafy buffet and mate with others. According to retired CSU entomologist Dr. Whitney Cranshaw, the idea that crushing beetles releases an attractant pheromone is a myth; they’re actually drawn to compounds the plant releases when it’s being munched. For larger infestations, chemical applications come in liquid or granular formulations and can effectively control grubs in the soil. However, be sure to read the label and know the active ingredient you’re applying to your landscape. Insecticides based on diamides are generally safer to use around beneficial insects like bees visiting flowering turf weeds, but neonicotinoids and pyrethrins are lethal to all insects. While you can spray affected plants with chemicals, this method generally only controls beetles for a few weeks before degrading, allowing another population to move in and resume the damage. If you don’t wish to use synthetics, Dr. Cranshaw notes that a bacterial strain, Bacillus thuringiensis var. galleriae (Btg), is on the market, but it also has a short effect. Additionally, there is a bacterium that causes milky spore disease commercially available to control grub populations in lawns, but according to Dr. Cranshaw, its effectiveness is marginal at best. More promising is a fungus called Ovivesicula poppilliae (O.P.) that has around a 30% infection rate and gives beetles and larvae what is essentially a chronic kidney infection —one that increases overwinter grub mortality, shortens adult lifespan, and reduces reproductive capability. While this fungus isn’t yet commercially available, it is being utilized by municipalities up and down the Front Range. Some cities have also worked with the Colorado Department of Agriculture to release two species of wasps and a fly that parasitize Japanese beetles, though the establishment of these predators will take time. The battle against this beetle has been raging in Colorado for decades, but serious progress has been made thanks to researchers and gardeners like you. Whether treating your lawn for grubs in the spring or starting your summer mornings by drowning beetles, every bit helps to bring this exotic pest under control.Next >