Septemberfest offers fun and games for all in Rangely

RANGELY I Rangely’s Septemberfest, which began Friday and ran through Labor Day Monday, was packed full of interesting activities for Rangely residents and visitors alike.

Septemberfest kicked off Friday evening with a showing of the children’s movie, “The Croods,” at Rangely Junior/Senior High School.
Early Saturday, 14 runners headed to Blue Mountain for the second annual Blue Mountain Half Marathon. The 13.1-mile race was won by Rangely’s Steve Green with a time of one hour, 39 minutes. For those wanting a shorter distance, a 5K was also offered Saturday morning and attracted more than 80 participants.

Saturday afternoon brought fun to Elks Park as the inflatable water slides were set up for kids and a weightlifting competition was held under the pavilion. Western Rio Blanco Recreation District Director Tim Webber stated that seeing everyone in the community come out and spend time together at these types of activities is “what he loves most about Septemberfest.”

Once everyone had their fill of water fun, the chili cook-off was set up. Scott Hejl and Barb Chism won Best Red as a team and Pat Harris won Best Green and Best Overall.

The evening ended with the fifth annual Buck ‘N’ Bulls, put on by the CNCC Rodeo Team and Equestrian Program. This year’s bull riding drew a large crowd to cheer on the 33 cowboys who attempted to ride a full eight seconds.

The cool wet weather Saturday gave way to a beautiful Sunday afternoon, which began with the annual ice cream social at the Rangely Museum. The event drew several hundred people to enjoy homemade ice cream and listen to music by Fiscus and Gravy.

Early Saturday evening, the Rangely Fire Department helped water the area of the old Parkview School site to get it ready for the Muddy Dip ‘N’ Dash obstacle course. Many challengers of all ages attempted the course. Ethan Allred ran a time of 1:11 to win the men’s division and Michelle Jones completed the course with a time of 1:26 to win the women’s competition. When the adults were through, kids were allowed to tackle the course, and 10-year-old Andrew Dorris impressed everyone with his 1:22 completion time.
After the dash, spectators turned their attention to the Muddy Tug of War which had three teams of five persons competing. The Rangely Fire District Team was able to quickly claim the title of champion as they dominated the other teams with amazing speed.

Labor Day morning saw the very-well attended Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast. Shortly after the breakfast, participants headed to Main Street to watch the Star Spangled Parade, which featured a wide variety of entrants and all kinds of colors and decorations.

For many, the highlight of Septemberfest is the arts and crafts fair at Elks Park on Monday.
This year’s event had 74 vendor booths put up by locals and visitors. The goods ranged from produce to jewelry and everything in between.
One visiting vendor selling survival bracelets explained that he “likes coming to Rangely because it’s a relaxed atmosphere that allows him to make money.”

Taking place at the same time at Elks Park was the annual car show, which featured more than 60 cars from all over the area as well as a cribbage tournament. One of the featured attractions was a 1930 Detroit Electric car recently purchased by the Striegel family in Wyoming. It will be remodeled and restored as much as possible back to its original condition, according to Grace Striegel.

For lunch, the barbecue in Elks Park provided a large meal for a $2 donation. The meal, which fed several hundred people, required 1,200 pounds of beef and cost the WRBM Recreation Center approximately $5,000.

When patrons had their fill, they were able to head to Green Bridge to participate in the Duck Race. Ducks were sold by the Rangely Senior High Student Council in advance of the event.
To end the long holiday weekend, Rangely was treated to a free concert by country musician Charley Jenkins who was raised in Eastern Utah. Jenkins has gained popularity all over the country and was a finalist on the hit TV show, “Nashville Star.”