County, Opinion

From my window… Too many Meeker events subject to overload

Looking out my window I saw a large number of people surrounding the Rio Blanco County Courthouse, peering up into the air with a forlorn, lost look. It seemed they were in need of some leader to emerge to tell them what to do next.
On Saturday morning was the Channel 9 Health Fair for the Meeker area, the Spring Expo to raise funds for Toni Simmons, a young wife and mother of two kids who is a cancer victim in Meeker, and the Meeker Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural agriculture and business workshops, held in conjunction with and leading up to the annual After Birth Ball.
It looks like they are searching for a way to make all three events, but that will be tough to work out.
One person I overheard said, “Why are all these events at the same time?”
“That’s a darned good question,” a woman stated. “We go long times without anything to do and now they all come at once.”
It is called bad planning and, in communities as small as Meeker and Rangely, it shouldn’t be happening.
This is a small enough area that event planners should be checking with the local chambers of commerce to find out what is going on.
The chamber is the logical clearing house for such information because so many of the activities in this town affect businesses, which are most often members of the chamber, and the chamber is the local visitor/business center to keep track of these things.
Kaitlin Cook, executive director of the Meeker Chamber of Commerce, agrees.
“It is quite odd that all of these things showed up on the same weekend,” Cook said. “The chamber booked the agricultural and business seminars long before any of the others said a word. If the Health Fair or the Spring Expo had just checked with us, we could have broken these things up, to keep them from all being at the same times.”
Ironically, the ag and business seminars organized by the chamber suffered the most. With the booming success of the Channel 9 Health Fair taking up the morning and the Spring Expo pulling in a lot of people in the morning as well, it was the morning session of the free agricultural and business seminars that suffered from a lower-than-expected turnout.
No one is saying that any one of these events is any more important than the other. In fact, all three events could have stood on their own. And therein is the reason to have a central clearing house of information to help locals and visitors figure out what to do, when and where.
To have these three events on three different weekends would have benefitted each of them, and turnout would likely have been better at each.
Also, ironically, it was the chamber that assisted with getting the word out about the Health Fair and Spring Expo, which it should be doing, but they also hurt themselves by helping to promote these other events.
When you or your group plan some major event for a day or weekend, how long does it take to call the chamber and find out if there are any major scheduling conflicts? Not very long.
Please check with the chamber in the first place and let’s all avoid the conflicts.
n n n

I love letters to the editor. I don’t think there is any better way to measure the caring and involvement of community members than through letters to the editor in the newspaper.
I invite letters to the editor from readers and residents in the Meeker area, the Rangely area and the outside, rural areas of Rio Blanco County. Letters draw attention to positive actions, desires, problems and possible solutions to problems in our surroundings.
The letters section is not a better business bureau to allow residents to complain about a singular business or to launch personal attacks on any individual. It is there for residents as a public forum of ideas, suggestions and voices to help shape a community.
Yes, they can disagree with a board’s actions in a public forum; yes they can disagree with their elected officials; yes they can address any number of local (and sometimes state and national) issues. That is one thing that makes America the great nation it is — the ability to speak out with fear of reprisal.
So, if there is something that tickles your fancy or brings rain to your parade, let us know. If you perceive a problem or have a vision of success in some endeavor, let us know. We care. The readers care. Your neighbors care. And we may all benefit.
To submit letters, email your thoughts to sean@theheraldtimes, label them as letters to the editor and put a name, a hometown or phone number on those letters. We will not print the addresses or the phone numbers of persons who sent letters, but we will use the name and hometown.
Also, we will not accept anonymous letters or those which personally attack individuals or businesses as letters do not allow a person or a business to respond to an individual’s accusations.
Let’s keep the letters upbeat, informative or entertaining, and we can’t go wrong.
n n n
Congratulations to the organizers of Saturday’s events in Meeker.
The Channel 9 Health Fair was a huge success, with volunteers staying busy with those who had been waiting for up to 30 minutes when the doors opened right up until closing time. A lot of people volunteered a lot of time, and they are to be soundly applauded.
The Meeker Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the FFA Alumni did an excellent job of combining informative agricultural and business workshops to fill the day up until the evening festivities of the After Birth Ball. From lunch to dinner to a great time at the ball, the planning was extensive and well done.
And Stacy LeBlanc and her family and friends did a superb job in organizing nearly 30 vendors of widely diverse products to take part in the Spring Expo. Many, many folks took advantage of this event to purchase some neat items, but money was also raised to assist Meeker wife, mother and cancer victim Toni Simmons with travel expenses as she continues to travel across the county seeking the correct treatment for that cancer.
A good job was done by all, and county residents gained in all three cases from thousands of hours of community service by those who volunteered.

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@ht.1885
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
1 day ago
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
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The winning teams and individuals for the 18th annual White River Community Association Buy-Fly Fishing Tournament are as follows. Individual top weight catch was Dave Metrovich and longest fish was Kevin Massey. First place team won by Rio Blanco Abstract: Erik Eckman, Adam Parrett, Dave Metrovich and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Second place team was Drake Consulting: Travis Kaiser, John Douglas, Tony Bartolomucci and Bob Brandeberry. Third place team Mr. Rogers and the Hood (accepted by Doug Rogers) Gary Rogers, Mark Beauchamp, Kyle Schutte and Rick Gunter. The white fish have been frozen and will be served at the annual White River Community Association fish fry fundraiser in June.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
6 days ago
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