Meeker Locals: Dec. 30, 2009

Cortney and Scott Aldridge got their 15 minutes of fame when the couple was interviewed by Denver’s Channel 7. The Aldridges were traveling from Greeley to Meeker to spend the holidays with family, and had left early to avoid the anticipated storm that created travel havoc across the nation.
Reported in the Steamboat Pilot’s Dec. 21 edition back in 1934 (75 years ago), “An epidemic of measles, scarlet fever and diphtheria is in progress in Rio Blanco County. Meeker schools were closed last week, and by the end of the week, all the schools in Rio Blanco County were ordered to close. The diseases are all in light form, and there have been no serious cases yet.”
Happy new year! According to the Chinese zodiac, 2010 is “the year of the rat,” and is the first year of the Chinese zodiac’s cycle. Before you get out the D-Con, be aware that in China, it is deemed an honor to be born in the year of the rat. Rats are considered the “most fit” of all the animal signs to survive any situation. If 2010 is anything like 2009, we might need to looks for some of those ratty traits!
If you’re out and about celebrating New Year’s Eve, here’s a bit of trivia: the song “Auld Lang Syne,” frequently sung by inebriated revelers, is taken from a Scottish poem by Robert Burns. The phrase is translated “days gone by,” “long, long ago,” and even, “once upon a time.”
With lyrics put to the tune of a traditional melody, Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung each year at midnight on Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve), in Scotland and around the world.
And if you think you’re just too old or too tired to stay up until midnight, just pretend you’re from the Christmas Islands, also known as Kiritimati, in the South Pacific. Jan. 1, 2010 begins a full 21 hours ahead of us.
Happy birthday to Ruth Pearce and Chrys Sackett, Jan 1; Kelly Calkhoff, Jan. 2; Garrett Morris, Kim Asselin, Dan Oliver, Jan. 3; Gayle Stewart, Carl Kretschmon, Jan. 4; Darcy Roach, Jan. 5; Julie Jansen, Jan. 6.
If we didn’t wish you a happy birthday or a happy anniversary, it’s because we don’t have your special date on file! Please send birthday greetings, anniversary wishes, and other local social news to [email protected], or mail information to P.O. Box 720, Meeker, CO 81641.