The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce started Starlighting in 1962. The chili supper the firefighters serve that same afternoon is in its 90th year. The Chamber runs the stages, the booths and the shuttles. The Star itself, and the oldest tradition of the night, belong to the fire department.
This year Starlighting falls on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Historic Wilcox Square and Festival Park in downtown Castle Rock. The main-stage ceremony starts at 5 p.m. at 4th and Wilcox. The Star lights at about 5:30, and fireworks follow right away if the weather allows. General admission is free.
The Star has been a fire department project since 1936
The Star went up in 1936 on land donated by George P. Stewart. According to a Douglas County Libraries historical account, Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps workers designed it, and volunteer firefighters carried the steel rods up the butte and welded them in place. 9News credits Castle Rock Hose Co. No. 1 with building the 40-foot, 100-bulb star.
Its history follows the town's hard years. The library account says it lit every holiday season from 1936 to 1941, then went dark because of wartime electricity shortages. On Aug. 14, 1945, its lights formed a "V" for victory. It came back as a holiday star on Dec. 7, 1945, and has lit every season since. It was completely rebuilt in 1949.
The town has also lit it outside the holidays: after Sept. 11, 2001, after the Broncos' 1998 Super Bowl win, and in March 2020, when the Castle Rock Town Council relit it "as a reminder that Castle Rock is a strong and united community that will persevere," as 9News reported.
Castle Rock Fire and Rescue still takes care of it. History Colorado's Shaun Boyd told 9News that firefighters "actually go up there every year, change out all the light bulbs, make sure the wiring's correct." CBS Colorado has reported on four firefighters known as the "Keepers of the Star," who handle upkeep all year. Recent work has included structural upgrades recommended by engineers and a switch from some incandescent bulbs to LEDs.
So when the switch is flipped from the main stage at 5:30, it lights something the fire department has kept running for 90 years.
Station 151 sits inside the closed blocks
The firefighters' part of the day is on the ground, too. The Castle Rock Professional Firefighters will host the 90th Annual Chili Supper at Castle Rock Fire Station 151, serving beef chili, nachos, hot dogs, drinks and desserts.
The Town's listing for last year's Starlighting gave Station 151's address as 300 Perry St. That block is inside this year's closures. Perry Street closes from 5th to 2nd, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. In other words, the firehouse is part of the festival footprint.
Here is the full closure list from the Chamber's Starlighting page. Every street is closed 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Perry Street, 5th to 2nd
- N. Wilcox Street, 5th to 3rd
- 4th Street, Jerry to Perry
- 3rd Street, Wilcox to Perry
- 2nd Street, Wilcox to Perry
Those blocks hold the rest of the afternoon. You'll find a kids zone with a petting zoo, face painting and games, plus strolling carolers and dance groups, four Chamber beverage tents, food trucks, and nonprofit and sponsor booths along the streets. Biff Gore plays live music on the main stage at 4th and Wilcox. Bring a card. Castle Rock Chamber events don't take cash, only credit and debit.
How the afternoon runs
The Chamber says the full entertainment schedule, event map and booth map are coming soon. These fixed times are already set:
| Time | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 a.m. | Street closures begin | Perry, N. Wilcox, 2nd, 3rd and 4th |
| 1:30 p.m. | Free shuttles start running | Three pickup lots, listed below |
| 2:00 p.m. | Festivities open; Santa arrives | Wilcox Square; Santa in Festival Park |
| 4:15 p.m. | Santa's last visits | Festival Park |
| 5:00 p.m. | Starlighting Ceremony | Main Stage, 4th & Wilcox |
| About 5:30 p.m. | Star is lit, then fireworks if weather allows | The Star on Castle Rock |
| 6:00 p.m. | Festival hours end | Downtown |
| 8:00 p.m. | Shuttles stop; streets reopen | Downtown |
If you're coming with kids, plan around the gap between Santa's last visit at 4:15 and the 5 p.m. ceremony. That's the window to get to the chili supper before you find a place to watch the butte.
The ceremony also carries its own tradition. Each year someone reads "Castle Rock," a poem by resident Helen Lowrie Marshall written in 1966. The chance to flip the switch went to a Chamber auction, with online bidding open through Nov. 6 and a $2,000 starting bid. Proceeds support the Chamber's Veterans Alliance and Tours for Teachers programs.
Getting downtown and back
Shuttles are free from 1:30 to 8 p.m. The Chamber lists three pickup lots, and two of them share a drop-off:
- AdventHealth Castle Rock, Alexander Parking Lot, 2350 Meadows Blvd. Drops off at Fifth and Wilcox.
- Douglas County High School, South Building, 2842 Front St. Drops off at Fifth and Wilcox.
- Douglas County Fairgrounds, Lot 5, 500 Fairgrounds Drive. Drops off on the street between South and Phelps Streets, by Eternal Rock Lutheran Church and the Folkestad Fazekas buildings.
Go home the same way you came. At the end of the night, each shuttle loops back to its own lot and picks up where it dropped off. If you rode from the fairgrounds, your shuttle home leaves from South and Phelps, not from Fifth and Wilcox, the main drop-off.
If you'd rather drive, the Chamber points to the Encore Parking Garage at Wilcox and Perry and the garage at 3rd and Jerry. The Town's downtown parking map has the most accurate details.
The Star stays on until the Stock Show ends
9News reports that it turns off for the season when Denver's National Western Stock Show ends in January. The 2027 Stock Show runs Jan. 9 to 24, so the Star should glow over town for about two months after Nov. 21.
If you miss the 5:30 moment, you can still see the Star on any clear evening through the holidays and the Stock Show. You can only get the chili supper, the carolers on Wilcox and the fireworks on Nov. 21.
The rest of Douglas County's season starts the next weekend. Parker's Hometown Holiday Experience runs on weekends from Nov. 28 through Dec. 20 in downtown Parker. This year's décor theme is "Parker Through the Decades," set along a stroll from Mainstreet to Discovery Park. The Downtown Parker Holiday Market follows on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the O'Brien Park parking lot, with more than 100 vendors and food trucks.
At Downing Street Group, we follow the small traditions that shape a Douglas County calendar, from the firehouse chili line on Perry Street to the night the Star goes dark after the Stock Show. If you're thinking about what a home near downtown Castle Rock or anywhere else in the county could look like for your family, request a private consultation and we'll talk it through over the season.
