Happy Monday, Longmont! Colorado passed over 200 new laws last week, and, despite addressing everything from deterring bears to gambling with credit cards, none plan to do anything about drivers not paying attention when they’re first in line in a left turn lane.

Today — Numbers from the 157th Boulder County Fair, the Longmont Concert Band gets a big call, and two Longmont teens are making their mark in punk rock music.

Let’s dive in.

Those overpriced pretzels are really paying off.

At Monday night’s Boulder County Fair Board meeting, Fair Manager Brian Mulligan announced a myriad of achievements for the 2026 fair. Chief among them — record-setting attendance. Exact numbers aren’t available yet, but will be released in the weeks to come. Among the other highlights…

While the 157th Boulder County Fair continued the traditional elements of a county fair, it also saw several new additions. These included off-site parking with a free shuttle and The Backyard — a fenced-in green space where adults can relax and kids can play. Other unorthodox appearances at the fair included hot-air balloons, jugglers, unicyclists, and even a velociraptor.

Looking ahead:

Most of the meeting, however, was spent discussing potential improvements. Topics ranged from hosting more activities at the fairgrounds on the Saturday of the kickoff parade, more availability for 4-H animal spectating, and increasing signage for parking options. The latter was especially concerning — Fair Board President Chase Walstad mentioned that one non fair-sanctioned parking lot was attempting to charge unsuspecting vehicles $15 to park. For reference, all fair-sanctioned parking is free.

Longmont bolsters flood protection on St. Vrain Creek: As part of its efforts to protect the city against flooding, like that of 2013, the City of Longmont announced Monday that construction of Izaak Walton Reach 2 has been completed. A part of the Resilient St. Vrain Project, new improvements included increasing the creek’s capacity to carry a 100-year flood and reconstructing the Greenway Trail between Boston Avenue and Sunset Street. Environmental improvements were made, as well. Crews sprayed a seed mixture along the project corridor to control erosion and will soon plant native vegetation when temperatures cool down.

Longmont Concert Band selected for prestigious honor in Denver: LCB has been selected as a performing ensemble at next year's Association of Concert Bands convention in Denver. They were one of just six bands from across the nation called into service for the annual event. The ACB convention is considered one of the premier national gatherings for concert bands. It takes place next May 19-23. LCB will perform selections from their spring concert, “Flowering,” as well as other pieces from the rest of this season.

Another item on your ballot? Last night, the Front Range Passenger Rail District hosted the last of more than 30 town halls across the state, trying to convince locals of the viability of the Colorado Connector — the ambitious rail project that aims to connect Fort Collins to Denver (including a stop in Longmont) offering first rides in 2029. Project leaders elaborated on a recently-completed delivery plan outlining their efforts and said the FRPR Board of Directors will vote next Friday on whether they’ll refer to the ballot a question asking voters to approve a 0.333% sales tax hike to fund phase 2 of the project, which extends rail service to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Funding for phase 1 — Fort Collins to Denver service — has already been secured.

Rock hasn’t made an impact like this since the dinosaurs went extinct.

Punk rock, that is.

Longmont brothers, Lars and Maximus Messmer, aged 19 and 14, respectively, have stayed busy over the last year breaking into Colorado’s live music scene. They’ve been playing together for several years, but only recently started hitting the stage.

Their band is named Kung Fu Juicebox, and they specialize in energetic, Green Day-like punk rock music. Since playing their first gig last December, they’ve found themselves quickly making a mark. Among their achievements:

Happening now:

KFJB’s latest accomplishment is creating their first album. It’s a significant milestone for the pair who recorded all of the album’s songs by converting their mom’s basement into a makeshift sound studio. The teens said the demands of creating an album cost them countless hours and most of their summer, but well worth the effort. Now that it’s done, they’re celebrating the occasion here at home:

Lars and Maximus says when it comes to punk rock, there’s more to the genre than meets the eye.

“It’s so wonderful,” Lars said. “You can play crappy and still sound good. I think that’s really beautiful, it’s kind of poetic.”

When asked why someone who doesn’t listen to punk should consider attending their album release party, the brothers hailed the inclusive culture of punk communities.

“Punk communities are very welcoming.” Maximus said. “It’s a place to meet new people.”

“High energy, too.” Lars added. “If you’re feeling down on a Saturday night, go to a punk show and you’re going to instantly feel better.”

If you can’t make it Friday night, Kung Fu Juicebox’s next show in Longmont is October 10. Learn more about the band here.

Zooming out:

Longmont has a burgeoning punk scene. In addition to KFJB and We Are All Crooks, another local band named No Reason to Care, is gaining traction as well, tallying over 3,100 followers on Instagram. And Longmont’s youth are into it — Lars said punk rock shows in Longmont are seeing big crowds, particularly from those under 21 who are looking for opportunities to socialize.