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Good morning, Fort Collins. Let’s congratulate our newest Ram alumni, the graduating class of 2024, who will be making the walk this weekend. And to all you amazing moms out there, we hope you have a spectacular weekend.

In today’s ChoiceCity Dish:

• Poudre Fire Authority to the rescue

• The FoCo Food Truck Rally is back

• Potential school consolidations for PSD

Now, let’s get to it.

ALL TOO REAL

It was late and Cindy had just finished her dinner in Old Town. She had parked a few blocks away and was heading to her car when she first heard the noise. She instantly regretted taking the dark alley.

She sped up. And so did the footsteps behind her.

She stole a quick glance over her shoulder and noticed the large figure moving towards her at a run. Suddenly everything she had been thinking about vanished. The car was too far away, she wouldn’t make it in time. Rather than panicking, as she would have years earlier, Cindy forced herself to stop. The moniker No One Is Coming To Save You settled on her like a horsehair blanket. And as she prepared to defend herself, Cindy realized one thing - she wasn’t alone.

Her coach was there, Troy Thomas, the recently retired 30 year Army Ranger. What had he taught her? His nearly 25 years of martial arts, his time with 2nd Ranger Battalion shaping their combatives program, even his time as CSU’s ROTC leader, it all mattered and in that moment she would need all of his expertise.

Cindy had been hesitant to join a jiu-jitsu school. Intimidating was an understatement. When her daughter started in the kids program, she learned about an all woman’s class lead by a female coach, so she figured she would give it a try and get her exercise done at the same time, not thinking much about the self-defense component. Now, that one simple decision was going to determine just how this altercation was going to end.

So aside from brainstorming practical business applications, what do two CSU grad students do after graduating? The two life-long learners, Troy Thomas MBA, and Jeff Callaway MS, both decided that the best way they could impact their local community was by opening a jiu-jitsu school. And just like that FoCo BJJ was born.

This self-defense school offers an inclusive culture, welcoming first-timers and those with decades of experience. Come for the physical fitness, stay for the mental health benefits, leave with a recharge.

“Because if everyone knew Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, the world would be a much safer place.” - Troy Thomas.

*Cindy was not harmed in the making of this.

LOCAL DISH

🐏 CSU’s commencement ceremonies are set to begin today, May 10, and they will extend through Sunday, May 12. Moby Arena and the Lory Student Center will be jam-packed. Couple graduation weekend with Mother’s Day and you are sure to see an inordinate amount of people and traffic in town all weekend long, so keep this in mind as you navigate the next three days.

📚 The Poudre School District has released a postponement for potential school consolidations and boundary adjustments. May 10 is the new public release date, so if you are looking to give feedback, today is the day you can make your voice be heard. Stay in the know, here.

🚌 Chicken and waffles with a side of nachos? Or maybe you prefer to wash down your sushi with some Mary’s Mountain Cookies? Whatever you’re into we can all agree, more options are better. Thankfully the FoCo Food Truck Rally is back! And set to begin Tuesday, May 14, at City Park and run through September 17. Food is available from 5:30 PM until dusk, so bring your appetite and a handful of cash.

And don’t forget about the live music. Head over to their website or facebook page to see who’s performing.

RAMS

🥎 Maya Matsubara, Peyton Allen and Ashley York were named as first-team Mountain West All-Conference. Molly Gates, Sydney Hornbuckle and Jailey Wilson were named second-team. Way to go ladies.

May 10 | FRIDAY | 6 PM

🏃🏃‍♀️Track @ Mountain West Championships

May 11 | Saturday | 12 PM

🏃🏃‍♀️ Track @ Mountain West Championships

May 13 | Monday | All Day

⛳️ Men’s Golf @ NCAA Regional Day 1

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

Friday

Kelsey Jo & The Wildcards | 6 PM - 1 AM

The Sundance Saloon. No ticket required. Cover at the door.

Saturday

Alice by Heart Encore Benefit Show | 7 PM

Alice by Heart was one of 9 shows selected to perform at the International Thespian Festival, and all you have to do to help support Fossil Ridge High School’s musical production is go catch their encore show. Grab your ticket.

Sunday

Mother’s Day at G&B | 7 AM - 9 PM

Ginger and Baker is welcoming all moms into their Cafe for Mother’s Day, no reservation required.

Face Vocal Band | 2 PM

Mother’s Day Extravaganza at the Lincoln Center. Tickets still available here.

Free Bloom for Mom | 11 AM - 6 PM

Snack Attack will be handing out a free bloom to all the moms, so if you forgot to get her something extra special, the least you can do is swing in and grab her a sandwich or wrap, and they will help brighten her day with you.

Tuesday

FoCo Food Truck Rally | 5:30 PM - Dusk

At City Park. Eat your heart out and enjoy the live music by Johnny Johnston.

WEATHER

Friday

61 🌡 39 | ☁️ | 10% | 6 MPH

Saturday

68 🌡 40 | ⛅️ | 10% | 6 MPH

Sunday

72 🌡 46 | ⛅️ | 10% | 10 MPH

THE DIGEST

🚧 As some of you already know, or have found out the hard way, Harmony Road is getting a facelift. Being one of the busier roads in-and-out of town, if possible, try and avoid it until the first week of June, or suffer the consequences. Timberline Road to Strauss Cabin Road, which is typically three lanes in each direction, is now being shunted down to one lane for some much needed resurfacing, and that means delays are inevitable. And you can always head over to the City of Fort Collins official site to read more about the project. Just click here.

EXTRA SERVING

And some good news, the crew from Poudre Fire Authority’s Engine 5 responded to a call this past weekend.

The call? Ducklings in the storm drain.

They came, they rescued, they reunited.

Mission success and a big shout out to all of our town’s heroes.

THANKS!

Thank you for reading ChoiceCity Dish today. If you enjoyed this and found something useful, please share it with the one person you owe everything to, your mom.

Dan Straub | Publisher | ChoiceCity Dish