Visitors find Range Call a great time

MEEKER I The annual Meeker Range Call celebration is one that takes tremendous planning, preparation and of course, performances from the variety of talents from town and outside.
It is a time that locals look forward to and invite friends and family to share the excitement.
What then, do the visitors think of the festivities? That is a question asked of several visitors this year from a wide variety of places, including Arizona, Kansas City, Craig and a family from Denver. They shared their outlook of our celebration.
Ranging in age from 9 to 79 and in professions from regional supervisor for Peter Kiewit to a retired teacher, to an airline pilot.
The good news is that from the outside looking in, the view is worth the trip.
One couple from Craig was very impressed with the size and turnout for the parade, saying, “This is an incredible turnout for a parade, especially for the size of the town.”
The young kids visiting loved the parade as well, but when asked what they enjoyed most, the 9-year-old boy said, “the candy.” The same boy attended nearly every event over the four days, and he said, “I liked the demolition derby and the guy on the motorcycle that jumped into the fire.”
The boy was worn out, slightly sunburned and may have had too much cotton candy, but he loved Meeker.
The regional supervisor was not as impressed with the parade, but thought the number of people who came out was impressive. He enjoyed the bank robbery re-enactment but did not stay long enough to attend events beyond that.
The retired couple had a lot to say about the weekend, beginning with the parade as well.
The woman felt like there should be “more floats and less cars.”
“It was extremely long, but it is nice to see so many people out,” she said.
She said the couple are rodeo fans and that they enjoyed the Colorado Professional Rodeo Association even a great deal. They were worried the slack was going to run into the main performance, but thought the rodeo was very good.
The couple visiting from Arizona does so every year.
“We truly love the Fourth in Meeker,” he said, adding that “his year it seemed longer than other years, but it was very good.”
When asked what they enjoyed the most, she said, “We always enjoy the concert, and Gloriana was a great band – but a short concert.”
It seemed in conversing with residents and visitors that they considered the celebration a success.
Both groups felt the organizing committee is to be commended. The addition of new events was well received and the history depicted in the bank robbery as well as the Meeker Massacre re-enactment were once again appreciated, they said.