Don was born and raised in Meeker and learned and has done ranch work all his life. He has been on the LaGrange Ranch for almost 40 years and, with that schedule, he, along with his brother, Don, and now-son Troy have kept the White River Snowmobile Club trails groomed and marked from the beginning.
Don was involved with the original marketing of the Meeker Massacre re-enactment in the past. His kind mannerisms are evident in his children. Snowmobiling has been a family activity for the Hilkeys as their grandkids now enjoy the excitement of the sport.
Rosemary moved to Meeker her junior year of high school, graduating in 1958. She and Don were married in 1959. She was a beauty operator for a few years before going to work for social services where she worked for 27 years before retiring in 1996.
She has been very involved in the Range Call Association and got the idea to start the drill team after the 4-H club had one. She watched films on technical routines for the team and they began in 1987.
She has seldom missed an event with the drill team since then, performing in rodeos and parades all over the state.
The horse she used from the beginning is retired now at the age of 33. Rosh provided a consistent gentleness that enabled Rosemary to carry the flag through crowds in parades and the pageant. She has presented the flag for many occasions and plans to do the same again on her new horse of only six months.
When she is not practicing for the drill team, Rosemary has taken up barrel racing competitively for the past five years, competing in area NBRA events around. She has overcome injuries and helped the drill team persevere through times of difficulty with involvement, but she remains a steady figure in the Range Call Celebration.
The Range Call Celebration has become the oldest continuous celebration in Colorado. It began as just a rodeo, and added the parade, then the re-enactment of the Meeker Massacre, and now all the events that make the 4th of July in Meeker the place to be in northwest Colorado.
Rosemary said about the celebration, “I like it all; all the people in town enjoying the events.”
She added, “I have always liked rodeos.”
Rosemary hopes the involvement and participation in the Range Call gets back to where it once was, and she praised the people working hard on the committee to make that happen.
“They are good people to work with,” she said.
When asked about the drill team specifically, she said “We have fun together. It’s what it’s all about.” Rosemary also takes tickets and works the events at the celebration and is an example of one of the many volunteers it takes to pull the fun-filled week of activities together.
Don and Rosemary have two children, Troy (Rhonda) Hilkey and Melanie (Lyle) McKee, all of Meeker. They have four grandchildren: Jessica (Brett) Berthelson, Nicole Hilkey, Donny and Tia McKee; and two great grandchildren, McKenna and Brady Berthelson.
Whether in the middle of winter taking a club ride through fresh snow or in the heat of summer celebrating Independence Day, there is seldom one of these occasions when a member of the Hilkey family is not helping with.
There is nothing more patriotic then a beautiful horse carrying a proud rider presenting our American flag.
Don and Rosemary have helped keep two very special traditional activities alive in our small town. Their commitments set an example, and, hopefully, it invokes increased involvement going forward. Follow their lead this year, and come out to enjoy and support all this Range Call Celebration has to offer.
