Happy Wednesday, Scouts. Welcome to Edition VII of Scout & Tell.

This week we’re getting personal. Personal in the sense that I’ll be sharing about myself in a way I’ve never done in public before.

The goal of this newsletter isn’t about me, nor will I ever make it that way. But sometimes you need to make it personal to drive home the message.

Today’s main story is about the journey after the fog has cleared and how one can lean on their community in a time of need. Some of us choose sobriety, others need it. Regardless, we all need a group of people we can call our own.

Today you’ll read about people who are creating a community of soberness, right here in our back yard.

I’ll see you out there,

Four and a half years I got sober. One of the early things I couldn't get over in my journey was simple: How on earth was I going to have fun sober? 

Fun and alcohol were synonymous in my world. They went together like lamb and tuna fish. You could not have one without the other. 

Now that alcohol was gone, so was the fun! Turns out that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

For me, getting sober was the start of the journey. Then, I needed to find a way to make this new life work. The best way for me to emulate a sober lifestyle was by seeing other people do it. 

And guess what? Turns out I'm not alone. Many people are embracing this lifestyle in northern Colorado. 

FoCo Sober Run Club

Twenty plus years of drinking left Brian M. with a lot of feelings he'd never had to sit with sober. When he finally quit for good in Sept. 2024, they came out fast. 

"There was a lot of raw, just untapped energy and anger," he said. "It started coming out like a geyser." 

He'd already been running for years, but this time the miles felt different. 

Brian's journey took him to Wyoming for six months and by the time he got back to Fort Collins, he was looking for a group of people to run with. A woman named Maddie had started a sober run club of her own. She and Brian connected, ran it together for a while and eventually, she handed it to him. 

Insert: The FoCo Sober Run Club.

The group meets on Saturdays at 10 a.m. in City Park, 499 Sheldon Dr. 

No drop, all paces, three to four miles, kept to about an hour. They warm up together before the group splinters into its own pace lines. 

"It's designed to be super chill, focusing really on the connection and the fellowship," Brian said.

You don't have to be in recovery to show up. 

"This is for people that are sober, sober curious, fully in recovery, dabbling in recovery," he said. 

Find the group on Instagram at @focosoberrunclub.

A Sober D&D Table

Mason has been sober for more than six years. He was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons while incarcerated and that's all it took.

He spent the remainder of his time building characters and the first thing he did after rehab was find a D&D game on MeetUp. 

"This is what's going to keep me sober," he remembers thinking.

Mason said during our call he knew there had to be others out there. So he printed up a flyer, put it up at what was then Griffin Games (now Grand Slam Comics), and dropped one off at the local probation office and halfway house for good measure. 

The group now meets Tuesdays from 2 to 5 p.m. at Grand Slam Comics in Fort Collins, playing D&D and Magic: The Gathering.

The first 45 minutes to an hour is a sober check-in before anyone touches dice.

In the months since, the group grew enough that The Phoenix, a national sober active-lifestyle nonprofit founded in Boulder, took notice and folded it in as an official Phoenix event. 

It requires 48 hours of sobriety and is explicitly all-inclusive, LGBTQ+ community included. 

Regulars hover around six, with occasional walk-ins pushing a session to ten or eleven. 

"I found my fulfillment in gaming," Mason said. "That's unique, from what I've gathered in the sober community."

No Alcohol Needed

Julie Miller didn't want anyone to recognize her car. 

She lives in a small town outside Grand Junction, CO, and the local AA meeting felt like walking into her own small town's rumor mill. 

"There was no way I was going to show up," she said. 

So she found an online meeting instead. The more openly people talked about their own mess, the more her shame started to lift.

That Zoom group helped them form the podcast, No Alcohol Needed, which Julie and her partner, Steve, run together. Their content consists of conversations on everything from boundary-setting to finding purpose in life after you quit drinking. 

They now run their own virtual meeting every Monday at 6:30pm. 

It's not AA and doesn't try to be. 

"We love cross-talk," they said, "sharing stories and perspectives." 

Their favorite meeting topic, used more than any other, is simply: how are you, REALLY? 

The pair have also become certified recovery coaches, giving them the ability to help people who have stopped drinking, but feel stuck in their recovery. 

The Village

I got sober in Phoenix in 2022. I remember riding my bike away from an AA meeting, thinking to myself that everyone inside was a mess and I certainly wasn't one of them. Then somebody shared something I recognized as my own story and the dominoes started falling. That's the thing none of these groups can manufacture on their own. It has to click for you.

But they can hold the door open until it does. A run club that doesn't care about your pace. A game table that starts with a check-in before anyone rolls a die. A Zoom call that asks how you're REALLY doing and means it. 

None of it is boring. All of it is proof that the fun didn't end when the drinking did.

Helpful links

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The Ladies Spicy Book Club at The Artisan Shop and Studio gathers at 5957 Sky Pond Dr. Suite d160 in Loveland monthly for the kind of romance novels your mom warned you about. 

Throw in some crafts, mocktails and zero shame about your bookmark not moving past chapter three. First Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 18+, free, just call (720) 597-0137 for this month's page-turner. Their next meet up is October 9th. 

🌍 Song Circle Acoustic Jam at To The Five's Taproom & Lounge — Local musicians gather for an evening of singing songs they know and love, bring your own acoustic instrument. Details here

🎸 Built to Spill with Paul Schalda — KRFC and The Colorado Sound bring the indie rock legends to the Aggie Theatre. Details here

👩🍳 Workshop: Beaded Earrings at Odell Brewing Co. — Sip, socialize, and make your own beaded earring designs with local artisan Randie. Details here

🩺 PSA for Pints at Horse and Dragon — Free prostate screening in a private setting, ideal for men over 50 or over 40 with family history. Details here

🔮 Witches & Pagans Monthly Meet-Up — Verdant Nature Creations hosts witchy and pagan community, workshops, and ritual practice. Details here

🌻 Berthoud: Girl Scout Interest Meeting — Discover how Girl Scouts helps girls build confidence and find their adventure. Details here

💃 Beginning Line Dance Class (Weekly) — Absolute beginner-friendly line dancing at Sunflower Active Adult Community; contact Sara ahead for the gate code. Details here

🤠 Country Swing Dance Lessons at Tom Davis Saloon — Learn country swing with Madison from Inspired Movement Dance Studio, no experience needed. Details here

🍽️ Fort Collins Foodie Walk™ — Self-guided restaurant crawl through Old Town, first stop for the weekend, 5-8pm. Details here

🌾 Harvest Fest at Native Hill Farm — Face painting, live music, chili roasting, flower crowns, and tacos take over the farm for one evening of fall abundance, with a surprise for anyone who bikes or carpools in (4pm-8pm). More here

🎷 Magic Rat Live Music: StreatBeets — New Orleans jazz, folk, and rockabilly trio at The Elizabeth Hotel. Details here

🎤 Moxi Mic Drop — Open mic night with an emcee-hosted freestyle rap battle. Details here

🎸 Lynyrd Skynyrd w/ 38 Special — Classic rock headliners take over Blue Arena at The Ranch, 7:30pm. Details here

🏃 Severance Glow 5K Run/Walk — Night run on the Great Western Trail with a DJ after-party. Details here

🏭 2026 Rocky Mountain Advanced Manufacturing Expo — The region's longest-running manufacturing trade show, free admission, Greeley. Details here

🥩 Dehydrating Foods, Leathers & Jerkies — Larimer County Extension class covering the basics of drying fruits, veggies, leathers, and jerky. Details here

💪 Fort Collins Boss Babe Networking — In-person networking for local entrepreneurs, every 3rd Friday. Details here

🚜 Walker Family Reunion: Celebrating 50 Years & 200,000 Mowers! — Walker Mowers throws a milestone bash in Timnath. Details here

🕺 Whiskey Dust @ Island Grill — Come dance, 7-10pm. Details here

🎧 Son Little w/ Zach Person — CityFolk Tour — The Colorado Sound welcomes Son Little to The Armory. Details here

🏫 Back2Skool ft. MIKEL — Aggie Theatre dance night with AK Mixes B2B Sisoul and more. Details here

🎪 Hoedown Hill Music Festival (Fri-Sat) — The Band Perry headlines Saturday with Dillon Carmichael and Buckstein. Details here

🎃 Monster Mash Weekend (Fri-Sun) — Spooky fun at Jellystone Park Estes Park, decorating contest, haunted hike, costume contest. Details here

🐾 3rd Saturday Pug Play Group — Bring your pugs, pug mixes, or pug friends, 9am. Details here

🎮 Vintage Video Game Day — Free retro arcade day on original 80s consoles at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, 10am-2pm. Details here

🎭 Bas Bleu Theatre Opens New Season — Post-apocalyptic campfire tales kick off the new season. Details here

🍺 Downtown Loveland Oktoberfest — German beer, food, and games take over downtown, 12-8pm. Details here

🌸 Sipping with Succulents — Plant your own succulent garden with a drink from High Hops or The Heart, 10:30am, Windsor Gardener. Details here

🏺 Dirty Date Night: Adult Wheel-Throwing Class — Beginner pottery date night at Flingin Pots, 5-6:30pm. Details here

🐸 Paint Your Own Pond Frog — No experience necessary, paint an adorable pond frog at Petrichor Collective, 6-8pm. Details here

💘 Speed Dating Fort Collins Singles 24-39 — Meet local singles through 5-6 minute mini-dates, 2-4pm. Details here

🥁 Vibrant Life Farms Drum Circle — Sit in circle with space and grace to grow, potluck feast included, 5-10pm, Loveland. Details here

🏃 Superhero Run — 10K/5K/1M/Kids Fun Run — 14th Annual costume race at Greeley FunPlex, 7:15am. Details here

💎 Sip + Sparkle Pop Up — Permanent jewelry by Sweetpea & Sage at Stodgy Brewery, 12-3pm. Details here

🏈 CSU Rams Football vs. BYU — Canvas Stadium hosts the Rams, 5:30pm on CBS. Details here

🌻 Fort Collins Walk ALS — City Park walk to support ALS United Rocky Mountain, 10am-12:30pm. Details here

🧡 End of Summer Jersey Shore Bash — DJ, $8 tap margs all day, and karaoke at Cactus Grille & Wicked, 8pm-close. Details here

🧘 Pelvic Floor & Yoga Workshop — Learn pelvic floor muscle function with PT Ann Kennedy Schofield, 2-3:30pm, $45. Details here

🎶 Mish Presents Summer Concert Series ft. The Retake — Live music at Odell Brewing Co, 7pm. Details here

🎤 Rachel Alena Music (Duo) — Free show at Berthoud Brewing Company, 4pm. Details here

🥋 Coloradix! LIVE @ Kinney Farm House Show — Doors 3pm, music 4pm, look for the sunflower sign. Details here

🌲 Lory State Park Trail Workday — 7th Annual Fall Earn Our Dirt, no experience required, 8am-4pm. Details here

🎸 The New Pornographers — 105.5 The Colorado Sound welcomes the indie rock band to Washington's, 7pm, $36.46. Details here

🏈 UNC Bears Football vs. Northeastern State — Latinx Heritage Day at the Bears' final non-conference home game, 6pm. Details here

🏃 Wellington STAR Foundation 5K/10K — Community race benefitting the STAR Foundation. Details here

🌿 Healthy by Nature Community Fair — Free family-friendly event exploring the health benefits of time outdoors, hands-on activities, 12-3pm. Details here

🏡 Prairie Song Fall Backyard Bash — Discover Your Dream Home, then stay for the party at Bird Song Park, Windsor, 11am-3pm, free. Details here

🎉 Latin Night — Mexico Independence Party — Aztec dance performance, drink specials, Aggie Theatre, doors 9pm. Details here

📚 Berthoud Literary Festival (Sat-Mon) — "Rooted In Story" brings local and regional authors to town. Details here

🍻 Horse & Dragon Brewing: Ciao, Summer — Seasonal send-off party at the taproom. Details here

🏃 Fall Equinox Half & 5-Mile — Downhill run along the Poudre with a post-race party, Mishawaka Amphitheater, 7:30am. Details here

🥾 Brooms and Boards — Paddleboard morning with a fall twist at Windsor Lake, registration required, 10-11am. Details here

🎬 Movie Night in the Parks — Free outdoor movie at Winick Park, bring your own chairs and blankets, evening. Details here

🎸 Carlos & The Crew Band LIVE — Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue, 2-5pm. Details here

🏓 Backyard Games and Cold Brews — A fun day for men's mental health at North Lake Park, Loveland, $5, 12:30-3:30pm. Details here

🐱 Make and Paint Cat Plates @ Purpose Brewing — Slab your own 7" cat plate and paint it, 12:30-3pm. Details here

🧹 Horsetooth Shoreline Cleanup — Free volunteer cleanup at Satanka Cove, Bellvue, 8-10am. Details here

🍂 Blessings in Balance: Celebrate the Autumn Equinox — Free gathering with shared food, journaling, meditation, and intention setting, Farr Regional Library, Greeley, 2-4pm. Details here

🎻 Young Dubliners with The Swashbuckling Doctors — Irish rock at Washington's, 7pm, $18.95-$27.19. Details here

🛍️ Handmade Market NoCo — Local makers pop-up at Ginger and Baker, 9am-2pm. Details here

🎤 Bravo the Bagchaser & Peysoh — Sounds by DJ Trill with Swizzy J, Aggie Theatre, 8pm. Details here

🥕 Fort Collins Farmers Market — Fresh, local produce at Harmony & Lemay, 10am-2pm. Details here

🥬 Loveland Farmers Market — Fresh foods, live music, and food trucks at Fairgrounds Park, 9am-1pm. Details here