Happy Friday, Longmont! If there’s anything more indicative of the changing holiday seasons than the decor section at Target, it’s the seasonal drink menus at coffee shops. Starbucks officially rolled out its holiday menu yesterday, complete with the classic Peppermint Mochas and Caramel Brulée Lattes, as well as the newcomers: Tiramisu Velvet Latte and Apple Pomegranate Refreshers. Starbs is even releasing a limited-edition *checks notes* pup cup. Who’s in charge of these menus? And are they hiring?

Today — Results from Longmont’s massive community satisfaction survey, a huge win for Silver Creek High’s soccer team and a Longmont brewery is helping research how the moon impacts beer.

Let’s dive in.

Much like Denver Broncos fans, Longmont residents are mostly satisfied but with major concerns.

The biggest concerns are traffic congestion, homelessness and noise, in that order. That’s according to the results of the city’s latest community satisfaction survey, which were presented to Longmont City Council Tuesday night.

By the numbers:

The survey, which the city uses as a primary method for gauging the locals’ perception of the city, began in 1996 and is performed every two years. This year, Longmont recorded 3994 responses.

The survey also polled residents about their biggest concerns for the future. The top results were water, infrastructure, climate and surveillance.

Road work ahead:

It’s no secret that anything related to transportation receives severe criticism.

On the light side:

NextLight, that is. Despite undeniable concern, residents still had plenty of praise for Longmont. The city’s award-winning internet service was at the top.

Big picture:

Longmont residents are happy. When asked about their overall quality of life, nearly 85% of people said it’s either good (52.3%) or excellent (32.2%). Since reaching a low of 74% in 2008, it’s steadily risen since, reaching a peak of 87% around 2017.

Perhaps most importantly, locals care.

“People were very invested,” city Data & Innovation Analyst Ana Castro said. “Despite already taking a very long survey, they are invested in providing their thoughts, and taking the time to make the Longmont they want.”

Silver Creek soccer advances to state quarterfinals: Silver Creek High School has a date with the top team in Colorado. The Raptors shut out #8 Lewis-Palmer 2-0 on Wednesday in the second round of the 4A soccer state playoffs. The Raptors are now on a six-game winning streak, but they’re headed for quite a buzzsaw. Their quarterfinal matchup is against Mullen High School — the #1 ranked school in 4A Colorado. Mullen has only lost once this season, they’re on a 15-game winning streak, and won their first and second round playoff games by a combined score of 15-0. The game starts tomorrow at 11 am at Mullen High School.

Support for public safety tax continues to fall: As the final ballots from Tuesday’s election continue to get counted, support for the tax increase to fund police and fire jobs in Longmont dropped even more. The most recent update to Boulder County’s results was posted yesterday at about 5 pm. On Tuesday night, ‘Yes’ votes for the tax were reported to comprise about 36% of the tally. As of Thursday evening, that figure fell to about 34%. Other big items on the ballot remained virtually unchanged: Votes in favor of ranked choice voting is just under 56%, while tax increases for childcare subsidies and passenger rail funding remained at 58% and 62%, respectively.

Can moon phases affect beer? A Longmont brewery is helping to find out. Eggers Hops, a New Zealand-based hop farm, is researching whether lunar phases can change hop aroma, chemistry and brewing performance. Back in March, they harvested a Nelson Sauvin hop under a new moon, then dispatched it to 90 breweries across 16 countries. One of them was Bearded Brewer in Longmont. Last Friday, it announced the beer using those hops was finally on tap. Dubbed the Moonlight Harvest, it’s a 7.9% ABV, Double New England Hazy IPA. Eggers is in year two of their project. Last year, they studied the effects of a full moon on hops.

QuikTrip is living up to its name.

As one QuikTrip location remains under construction in Longmont, another is hoping to follow suit. A new proposal aims to build a 6,400-square-foot, eight-fuel pump QuikTrip at 2360 Mountain Brook Drive, just west of Hover Street near Target.

Hit the brakes:

The project faces a regulatory hurdle as it still needs approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission since the site is within 250 feet of a residential zoned lot.

Filling up:

QuikTrip locations have been spreading quikly (not a typo) across Colorado since the Tulsa-based chain opened its first store in the state in Firestone in 2022.

Zooming out:

QuikTrip opened its first site in Tulsa, OK in 1958, and has since expanded to include more than 1,200 stores in 23 U.S. states. QT is known for its expansive kitchens with made-to-order food, a fancy cold brew bar, and a wide range of drink options.

Prep playoff action: Football, soccer and volleyball, oh my. We invite you to support your local high school athletics by attending any of several events going down this weekend. One caveat — they all require a drive. Silver Creek and Longmont football begin round one of the state playoffs tonight when SCHS heads to Windsor and LHS travels to Vista Ridge. Silver Creek soccer takes on top-ranked Mullen tomorrow morning in the quarterfinals at the Mustangs’ Denver high school. Skyline volleyball hopes to secure its own place in the state tournament when they begin regional tournament action tomorrow in Colorado Springs at Lewis-Palmer High School.

New exhibition opens at Firehouse Art Center: Tonight, FAC’s annual Artist Members Show opens for the next three weeks. The exhibit, titled Hangtime, features work not by one artist, but by many. Every year, the FAC invites all of its members, including painters, sculptors, and photographers, to display their work in the main gallery. The opening reception is free, includes refreshments and live music, and takes place tonight from 6 - 8 pm.