This week near Blazek Loop: October 28, 2026.

Welcome to this week's community update for the Garden Ranch neighborhood near 2552 Blazek Loop. We round up verifiable local news for this corner of Colorado Springs: events near UCCS, changes along North Academy and Austin Bluffs, and everyday places worth knowing. Here is what is happening the week of October 28, 2026.

Halloween week lands on campus.

Halloween falls on Saturday, and UCCS has filled the week around it. On Wednesday evening, October 28, the Sole Center at the UCCS Recreation Center hosts a rock-climbing night with a costume contest from 6 to 9 p.m., open to the public for $10. The same night, Hallo-Week horror movie trivia runs at Clyde's Gastropub in the University Center with free food and prizes. On Friday, October 30, the Kraemer Family Library at 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway presents "Halloween Storytelling with Dracula," featuring the humanoid robot Ami, plus a showcase of its Six-Word Scary Stories Challenge.

Mountain Lions at home.

Two home matches make a good excuse for a campus visit: men's soccer hosts CSU Pueblo on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Mountain Lion Stadium, and volleyball hosts Western Colorado on Friday at 6 p.m., both right off Austin Bluffs Parkway.

Halloween night, neighborhood style.

Colorado Springs does not set citywide trick-or-treat hours; neighborhoods and HOAs set their own, so check the Garden Ranch Treat Map on Nextdoor or your HOA for local times. For a family outing, La Foret Conference and Retreat Center at 6145 Shoup Road runs trick-or-treating with snacks, games, and crafts on Friday, 5 to 9 p.m., for $10 per car. For a quieter night, "Ode To Pages: Shanah Leaf" opens at GOCA in the Ent Center for the Arts on Thursday, October 29, and runs through December 19 at University Village.

Heads up on Austin Bluffs Parkway.

Colorado Springs Utilities keeps rolling lane closures on Austin Bluffs Parkway between Goldenrod Drive and North Union Boulevard while its Central Bluffs Substation project consolidates two substations and a switch station into one facility. Work is expected to continue into the fall, so give the stretch near campus a few extra minutes and check the project page on csu.org before you head out.

Trails are the weekend winner.

October is prime time for the open space. Austin Bluffs Open Space serves up about 10 miles of trails across roughly 500 acres, and conditions are dry and firm this month. Watch your footing on Pulpit Rock's ridgeline, where early frost can leave icy spots. Families can join Sports Corp's free Kids' Fall Series Sunday runs through November 15, or lend a hand at the Group for Palmer Park volunteer trail day on Saturday, November 7.

Coffee and a bite.

A new coffee stop to note: Dutch Bros at 4320 Austin Bluffs Parkway. For dinner, Heart of Jerusalem Cafe (4587 Austin Bluffs Parkway) keeps serving its well-loved Mediterranean plates, and Doug's Breakfast Lunch (3659 Austin Bluffs Parkway) remains a dependable Saturday breakfast.