Wash Park's Fall Traditions Haven't Moved. Almost Everything Around Them Has.

On Saturday afternoon, kids in costume will go door to door along Historic South Gaylord. Between 3 and 6 p.m., the block's businesses will hand out treats at the annual Trick or Treat Street. Twenty-six days later, thousands of runners will head into Washington Park for a Thanksgiving race that is now in its 53rd year.

Those dates haven't moved, but the places they happen have. The corner restaurant on Gaylord has new owners and a new name. The European deli on Alameda is about to take a new name too. Inside the park, a stretch of path was repaved, a set of pull-up bars disappeared, and a $3 million city project is scheduled to wrap up before the year ends. Each fall date below now lands on a spot that looks different than it did a year ago.

Saturday's trick-or-treat route passes a corner that cost $6 million

The association describes the Halloween event simply: local businesses along the block handing out treats to "trick-or-treaters of all ages." The block has changed since last October, though.

At 1096 S. Gaylord St., the old Wash Park Grille space has been Wash Park Social since late April. The Denver Post, reporting with BusinessDen, said Bart Hickey owns the concept with Aaron Grant, Kris Johnson and Justin Martinez. Grant and Johnson bought the property for $6 million the previous October. Then they spent another $1 million to $1.5 million on the interior, with new floors, ceilings, walls, furniture and equipment. Hickey told the paper that was "a little bit bigger than what we planned, but we still kept it reasonable."

The buyers already had roots here. The same article says Grant lives in Wash Park and owns Park Coworking on the same block, and Johnson has an office on South Gaylord. The Grille closed for good in February 2025. The new room has more booths than the old one, which was mostly tables, and a horseshoe bar right inside the door. So one of the biggest addresses on the trick-or-treat route spent more than a year either empty or under construction, and this is its first Halloween open.

A few blocks north, the deli keeps its cheese and changes its sign

Goudy's Deli and Market sits at 1207 E. Alameda Ave., according to Westword's opening roundup from December 2024. It's about to become Le Cochon Chic, which translates to "the stylish pig."

Westword reported on Oct. 2 that original co-owners Christophe and Celine Goudy sold their stake to partner Yvan Lehuerou, of Boulder's Le Frigo, and manager Loren Medina. The full rebrand was expected "in the coming weeks." The paper said the shop's Euro-centric cheese, meats, sandwiches and specialty goods are all expected to stay, along with the 200-square-foot refrigerated cheese and meat "cave."

When this post went up, the change had been announced but the article gave no date for it. If you walk past soon, you may see either sign. The new owners already worked there, as a partner and the manager, which is the same pattern as on Gaylord: people already tied to the place took it over.

The Nov. 14 Boathouse tour comes with a note about getting in

The second date is quieter. On Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon, Denver Parks and Recreation is holding a free guided open house at the Washington Park Boathouse. You can arrive anytime in that window, and only one person per party needs to register through the city's ActiveCommunities page.

The tour is for people who want to see inside and ask questions before requesting a reservation. That makes it useful if you're planning a holiday party, a milestone birthday or a 2027 event and want to see the room first. Changes or cancellations go to [email protected].

The listing also says roadways are restricted, so enter the park at Franklin and Kentucky. Plan for that before you drive in from the north side expecting your usual route.

The paths are mid-change, and the pull-up bars show it

If you exercise on the east side of the park, you've probably noticed the orange fencing. Denverite reported that the outdoor pull-up bars there disappeared in mid-September. Denver Parks and Recreation spokesperson Stephanie Figueroa told the outlet the old bars were outdated and out of compliance. The city replaced them while repaving the path next to them, and they'll be back "later this fall," with no exact date.

The bars are one small piece of a larger project. Denver's Washington Park Trail, Courts and Picnic Area Improvements has a $3,040,000 budget, paid for by the Legacy Fund, the Parks and Recreation capital budget and the Elevate Denver Bond. The city's project page lists what's included:

• Picnic Area 1, north end: upgrades plus restoration of the nearby Girl Scouts Fireplace
• Picnic Area 4, east side: improvements and an assessment of the nearby gazebo
• Tennis courts nearest the playground: rehabilitation or reconstruction with new lighting, fencing, ADA sidewalks, nets and furniture
• Walks: aging asphalt paths, including the Meadow Loop, replaced with concrete to meet city and ADA standards
• Other work: an assessment of the pipe between Smith Lake and the lily pond, and a search for areas that could switch to climate-resilient turf and plantings

The work comes from the park's 2011 Vision Plan. Construction was set to start in early 2026 and finish in late 2026. The project sheet says "Fall 2026" and calls the schedule an estimate. That's a target, not a finish date. Check the project page before you count on a picnic area or court being open for a weekend plan.

Thanksgiving morning runs on those same paths

The 53rd Mile High United Way Turkey Trot is on Thursday, Nov. 26, with a 4-mile race/walk in Washington Park and a 1-mile Lil' Gobbler Family Fun Run that starts and ends at the main start and finish lines. The start is at 1700 E. Louisiana Ave. Here's the race-day schedule:

1. 7:30 a.m.: registration opens
2. 8:15 a.m.: Wave 1 corrals open
3. 9:00 a.m.: Wave 1 starts
4. 9:30 a.m.: Wave 2 starts
5. 10:00 a.m.: Wave 3 starts
6. 10:15 a.m.: Lil' Gobbler fun run starts

The crowd is big. United Way says nearly 11,600 runners took part in 2025 and raised more than $770,000. The race is also a qualifier for BolderBoulder, the Memorial Day 10K. After the finish, the Lil' Gobbler Family Fun Zone has games, face painting and photos with Gobbles the Turkey. Registration is on Race Roster.

If the city stays on schedule, this could be the last Turkey Trot before the park's path upgrades are done, or the first one after. Either way, if this year's field is anything like 2025's, thousands of runners will cover a 4-mile course in a park where the city has been rebuilding paths all year.

What's still blank on the calendar

Nothing on South Gaylord is posted yet for after Halloween. The association's events page lists Trick or Treat Street as the only upcoming event. The Firefly Handmade Holiday Market entries below it are from 2024 and earlier, not this year. For now, the confirmed dates are the three in the table above. Keep an eye on that page in November if a holiday market is a December habit for you.

At The Stairway Team, we watch Wash Park street by street: which corners change hands, which storefronts take new names, and what the city has scheduled for the park. If you're thinking about what this year's changes on Gaylord and Alameda mean for your home's value, ask us for a free home valuation and we'll go over it with you.