No matter what any of us do, summer never seems to last any longer, does it?

Children are back in school, you can feel faint traces of autumn’s coolness once the sun sets, and Labor Day Weekend is here. To help send off summer, here are five great ways to spend the long weekend:

Party like its 1899 in Golden

At one point in our history, Colorado was home to homesteaders and other rough-and-tumble types brave enough to make a new life for themselves in a new land. And by checking out Golden’s Homesteaders’ Day, you can get a sense of what it was like back then.

Held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Golden History Park, 1020 11th St., the free event allows attendees to explore the historic cabins, try wood-stove cooking, learn about blacksmithing, and take a lesson at the one-room schoolhouse. All like it would’ve been for 19th-century homesteaders.

The park is home to many of the original buildings from Golden Gate Canyon’s Pearce Ranch — one of the largest in the area by 1912. Buildings to be explored include a schoolhouse, barn and outhouse.

Visit www.goldenhistory.org/learn-do/events/ for the details.

Get your views on in Littleton

It’s difficult to imagine a better way to mark the end of summer than with a celebration that combines knockout views and some of the best brews in the metro area.

The City of Littleton and Hudson Gardens and Event Center’s Brews & Views will run from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the event center, 6115 S. Santa Fe Drive in Littleton.

The event will feature dining from local food trucks, local vendors, music and games. But of course, the main draw will be craft beers from popular breweries, including Black Shirt Brewing Co., Clear Fork Cider, Ratio Beerworks and Westfax Brewing Co.

There are four different ticket levels available for purchase, including a VIP experience, and all the information can be located at www.hudsongardens.org/enjoy/beer-festival/.

Get down downtown

A Denver tradition that goes back as far as I can remember, A Taste of Colorado is the largest free admission food and music festival in the state, which brings in more than 500,000 people over the long weekend.

Held at Civic Center Park, Broadway and Colfax Avenue in Denver, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2, the event features more than 50 food vendors and 175 marketplace vendors. There will also be a Kids Zone experience with arts, crafts and an entertainment stage and a larger main stage featuring well-known performers like KC and the Sunshine Band, Dwight Yoakam, Toad the Wet Sproket and more.

It’s difficult to think of a more classically Denver way to end the season than this, and you can get the details at www.atasteofcolorado.com.

The art is on the walls at CRUSH

The RiNo district in north central Denver is one of the most creative in the metro area, and that becomes especially true during the annual CRUSH event, which sees the area’s roadways transformed into open-air galleries.

This year’s CRUSH runs all over RiNo from Monday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 8.

The aim of the annual event is to raise awareness of “the cultural significance and importance of art for all ages and all demographics that may not have the opportunity to experience it otherwise.” To that end, this year’s event features everything from a street art calligraphy for children workshop to an artists’ rights workshop, film screening and concert at the newly opened Mission Ballroom, in addition to creating new public art throughout the area.

For more information, visit www.crushwalls.org.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week —
Bon Iver at Red Rocks

One of the best things about Just Vernon’s Bon Iver is that you never know what you’re going to get when the group releases something new. It could be spare and haunting folk, lush ‘70s soft rock or tech-heavy experimentalism. On their new album, “i,i” does a little of everything to stunning effect.

In support of the brand-new release, Bon Iver will be playing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway in Morrison, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

I’ve seen the group play Red Rocks before, and they fill that cavernous space with some of the most beautiful music you can imagine. And if that’s not enough, Sharon Van Etten will bring her beguiling indie rock blend along as the opener.

Get tickets at www.redrocksonline.com.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.