The Board Behind Greenwood Village's Goat Stable Is Planning Thanksgiving Morning

On the trail along Goldsmith Gulch near Yosemite Street and Berry Avenue, there's a fence line with four horses and seven goats behind it. People reach over that fence to feed the goats. The animals live at Orchard Hills Stables. The City of Greenwood Village owns the stables, and the Orchard Hills Metropolitan Recreation and Park District manages them. That small special district has its own board, its own website and its own calendar of neighborhood traditions.

That arrangement explains a lot about this corner of the city. The goats, the pumpkins, the Thanksgiving pies and the spring bird walk don't come from the City's special events office. They come from a district board that meets four times a year at 7:30 in the morning. Its November 10 agenda put the two things that matter most this month in front of that board: the future of the stables and the walk on Thanksgiving morning.

A Park District Inside a City Park

Orchard Hills Park is a City-owned greenbelt that runs along the Goldsmith Gulch drainage from Orchard Road to South Yosemite. It passes through the Orchard Hills, Big Canon and Goldsmith neighborhoods. In the district's words, the City "works cooperatively with the District to maintain the natural aspects" of the park.

The district's own list of amenities covers more than most people pass on a quick walk:

• Paved trails with benches
• A pond with an accessible overlook
• The stables
• Three tennis courts, one lined for pickleball
• A rock park
• Swings
• A Little Free Library

The City handled the heavy lifting on the stables. Greenwood Village's April 2026 news item on Orchard Hills Stables says the stables received "significant upgrades in 2025" through the City's Capital Improvement Program: new fencing, updated signage and a shade structure that protects the horses from hot sun and cold wind. The City also put up signs marking the stables as a public amenity.

The district handles everything else. That includes who lives in the stalls.

The Goats Arrived in the Last Two Years

Michael O'Shaughnessy is an Orchard Hills Metropolitan Recreation and Park District board member and the stable manager. He told the City that the board has spent the past few years working with Greenwood Village to clean up and improve the area. The goats are the newest part of that work. According to the City's article, several were just over a year old at the time, and they came from his farm about 45 minutes away.

"The goats are an addition we've brought in the past two years. I thought people would like to see them grow up... The goats love people, and people love feeding them."

In the same City article, O'Shaughnessy said leaves are the goats' favorite treat and that people also bring carrots, bananas and banana peels. He also said the stables are meant to give the community a glimpse of farm life. "I want people to see the beauty and grace of the horses, and the playful nature of the little goats."

Pumpkins came next. The City reported that the district started hosting neighborhood events within the past year, including Halloween pumpkin painting at the stables. O'Shaughnessy brought in 1,600 pounds of pumpkins from his farm for it. Groups that want to schedule a visit can contact Greenwood Village Parks, Trails and Recreation at [email protected] or 303-486-5773.

What Was on the November 10 Agenda

The district's regular schedule puts board meetings on the second Wednesday of February, May, August and November, at 7:30 a.m. at Vibe at Fiddlers Green, 6363 South Fiddlers Green Circle. This quarter's meeting moved to a non-standard day, Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

The posted agenda gives a clear picture of what a park district this size handles.

Two items stand out to anyone who walks past the fence. The stables update covered new tenants, which in a stable means animals, along with plans for future tenants and "regulations." Anyone who has stopped with a bag of carrots should keep an eye on the district's site and the stable signage over the coming months. The spring 2027 volunteer day follows a 2026 clean-up that was pushed back. The district's clean-up page says the 2026 event "has been postponed" and that a new date will be posted.

The Turkey Walk was the one item listed under New Business, and it's the next event on the district's calendar.

Thanksgiving Morning at the Rock Park

The district's homepage lists three annual traditions: a park clean-up, a spring bird walk led by a Denver Audubon guide, and "an annual Thanksgiving Day Walk and Pie giveaway" for residents of the district. The Thanksgiving event is the only one tied to a holiday, and its format is the most specific.

The Thanksgiving Walk page still shows last year's event: Thursday, November 27, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., starting from Orchard Hills Rock Park. Last year's route follows the park in order:

1. Meet at the Overlook.
2. View the pond.
3. Cross the bridges.
4. Walk to the stables to visit the horses and goats.
5. Choose a Thanksgiving pie, one per family. Each child gets a chocolate turkey.

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, donuts and bagels were part of the 2025 morning. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26 this year. The district's Thanksgiving page is where it posts walk details, so check there before you lace up.

The route runs past every feature on the district's amenity list, from the overlook and pond to the bridges and the stables. That makes the walk a 9 a.m. tour of the park that the district and the City have been rebuilding piece by piece.

Then City Hall Takes Over December

Once the pies are gone, the holiday calendar moves to the City. The annual Mayor's Holiday Lighting is Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 6060 South Quebec Street. Mayor George Lantz and City Council will light City Hall, and the evening includes warm beverages, live music and entertainment, and a visit from Santa Claus.

Getting in works differently than at the stables. The City's listing invites residents and asks them to get resident tickets through greenwoodvillage.com/specialevents. Questions go to Parks, Trails and Recreation at 303-486-5773, the same office that books group visits to the stables.

Five days later, City Hall hosts the Festival of Lights on Thursday, December 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Chabad South Metro Denver's event description includes a menorah lighting, Chanukah crafts, gifts, latkes and donuts.

Between Thanksgiving and the Festival of Lights, Greenwood Village has three community gatherings on its calendar. Only the Thanksgiving walk ends at a goat pen, and the volunteer board that runs it listed its planning on the November 10 agenda.

A shade structure, a fence line and an early-morning district board all shape the setting of the homes along this greenbelt, and setting carries value beyond square footage. If you live along Goldsmith Gulch and want to know how amenities like Orchard Hills Park figure into what your home is worth today, Charles Ward offers a complimentary home valuation that accounts for the setting as carefully as the build.