Happy Friday, Longmont! Who says movie theaters are dead? The U.S. domestic box office just scored its highest grossing summer ever. Theaters made $4.76 billion during the period of May through Labor Day, topping the previous record of $4.755 billion set in 2013. Earnings were led by sequels (Spider Man: Brand New Day, Toy Story 5), premium screenings (The Odyssey in IMAX), and even an indie film (Obsession). AMC is striking while the iron’s hot and heavily promoting its new ScreenX (massive movie screens that extend across the walls on both sides of viewers) and 4DX seats (seats that mimic the action on-screen by shifting, vibrating, even spraying water on viewers). Meanwhile, Regal Village at the Peaks still doesn’t offer self-serve soda fountains.

Today — What went wrong at the Colorado Pizza Festival, Longmont's newest pizza shop delays its grand opening, and Longmont City Council puts its support behind the childcare tax hike.

Let’s dive in.

The Colorado Pizza Festival was ready for 7,000 people. What they weren’t ready for? Everybody to show up at once.

Last Saturday’s inaugural Colorado Pizza Festival was one of the city’s most highly anticipated events of the year. But after the event closed on Saturday, an unfavorable headline had taken over. Hour-long lines to enter the festival, 20 minute-long lines to get a pizza, and 90-degree heat with few options for shade sent many home a little unhappy.

How did it happen?

Event organizer and Urban Field Pizza CEO Paul Nashak said they sold tickets to 7,000 people and were ready for all of them. They had the space, staff, and supplies prepared to handle it. But, they didn’t expect…

In the days that followed, Nashak said he stayed awake into the early morning hours responding to countless emails from disappointed attendees. But, he emphasized that he’s listening and taking accountability.

“I want to make sure that anyone who had a bad experience has access to me,” Nashak said. Anyone still hoping to voice their opinion can send emails to Nashak at [email protected].

As for the game plan moving forward, Nashak said better preparing for crowd control is his team’s priority. He and other event staff will regroup in a couple of weeks and begin to strategize for next year.

On the bright side…

Festival organizers announced yesterday that, after expenses, the event raised $60,000 for hunger relief. 100% of those funds will be delivered to four nonprofits: Longmont Food Rescue, Community Food Share, Colorado Friendship, and Slice Out Hunger, with each receiving $15,000.

Staying positive:

Colorado Friendship announced that their portion is the largest gift it’s ever received. It’ll cover a full year of meals for the population they serve.

City council votes to support childcare tax hike: In this week’s Longmont City Council meeting, councilmembers voted 5-1 to endorse a November ballot measure that asks Boulder County voters to approve a property tax increase to fund childcare subsidies, effectively voicing the council’s position on the issue. Councilmember Diane Crist voted against the measure based on her insistence that city council members should not tell the public how to vote on issues. During the Tuesday meeting, city council also voted to advance ordinances that would form a technology advisory board, and three others related to the 1st and Main Transit Project, one of which finances the construction of a new parking garage.

Slice House delays opening of Longmont location: The long-awaited addition to Longmont’s most recently-built fast food cornucopia…needs you to wait a little longer. Slice House by Tony Gemignani announced in a social media post it’s delaying the store’s grand opening until early October. The pizzeria didn’t specify a reason for the delay, but mentioned they’re “putting the finishing touches on everything and making that when we open our doors, we’re serving you the Slice House experiences exactly the way it should be.” Slice House is locate at 725 Harvest Moon Dr. by Costco.

Silver Creek officially opens new football stadium: Silver Creek High School cut the ribbon on its brand new football stadium ahead of a varsity boys’ soccer game yesterday. It’s a long-awaited improvement for the Raptors who previously had to host most of their home football games at Everly-Montgomery Field by Longmont High School. The new stadium includes bleachers for 1600 home fans and 800 away fans, a press box, restrooms, scoreboards, new tracks, an entry plaza, and more. Skyline High School, too, recently opened a new football stadium of their own. Following the ribbon cutting, the 5th-ranked Silver Creek boys’ soccer team showdown with undefeated Columbine High School ended in a 1-1 draw.

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ArtWalk on Main: The popular and free downtown Longmont event featuring local artists, dancers, musicians, vendors, food trucks, and more returns tomorrow. Expect more than 200 vendors, live performances, nearly a dozen food trucks to offer visitors a unique and entertaining evening. The festival takes place from 4-8 p.m. on Main Street between Longs Peak Avenue and 3rd Avenue.

TasteAbout Downtown: The 2nd Annual TasteAbout Downtown returns to Main Street this weekend. Buy a $25 ticket and take a self-guided tasting tour across nearly a dozen restaurants — and perhaps even one or two surprise additions — from Georgia Boys to The Passenger, Flavor of India and much more. Your ticket gets you a sample-sized portion of food from each restaurant. See the full list of participating restaurants here. It takes place Sunday from 1-6 p.m.

Virtual office hours with Councilmember Jake Marsing: Councilmember Jake Marsing is offering locals another chance to meet with him this Sunday afternoon when he hosts virtual office hours. Chat with the at-large councilmember about your questions, concerns and more from 1-3 p.m. Learn more here.