Having lived in Broomfield for almost 60 years, I have many fond memories of Broomfield Days as a child and in my later years with my wife Jeanie, also a 60 year Broomfield resident, our children Nick, Buck and Lexi, daughters-in-law Katie and Elizabeth, and grandchildren Jace and Josie.

My earliest memory of Broomfield Days, albeit somewhat vague, is the parade coming past my childhood home in the 100 block of Emerald in 1962 or 1963. Although some other long-time residents try to challenge me as to the accuracy of my memory of the parade coming down Emerald at that time, there are others that say that indeed took place. And I distinctly remember sitting on my front lawn as the parade participants threw candy to the kids along the way, the tradition of which continues to this day. However, compared to the current Broomfield Days parade that lasts over an hour and a half, the parade in those days was much shorter, probably a half hour in total.

Unlike the current Broomfield Days which only lasts 1-2 days, Broomfield Days in the mid-60’s lasted an entire week with the afternoons/evenings consisting of dances, bonfires, various contests, bingo and games all leading up to the parade on Saturday. And there was a full carnival that came to town for Broomfield Days including all the usual carnival rides, booths, games and concession stands. This was held in various locations in the parking lots near what was the old strip mall for the town and is currently occupied by At Home on the north end and the Broomfield Auto Service on the south end. Kids and adults would go to the carnival to ride the rides and play the booths and games all week long leading to its peak on Friday and Saturday evening. And I clearly remember on a Friday night winning a first prize of my choice on one of the booth games which for some reason I chose a black and yellow 3-foot tall cat.

One of my fondest memories of Broomfield Days in the mid-60s was what I will call the helicopter drop. It was on a Saturday afternoon and a helicopter came over an open field (now occupied by Big Dog Deli, Camille’s liquor store and other businesses in that strip mall). The helicopter dropped many wooden coins with various discount amounts written on them which the kids would scramble to find in the field and then quickly go to the stores in the area (my first choice was the old Drug Store located about where At Home is now) to exchange them for toys or treats.

I could go on forever with other wonderful Broomfield Days memories (5K race, golf tournament, food-eating contests in the park, etc) but suffice it to say that Broomfield Days holds a very special place in my heart and the hearts of all of my family!

Tim Clifford