Dan Maes, Republican candidate for governor made a surprise visit to Meeker on Monday night, showing up at a Tea Party cookout at City Park, along with his daughter, who works for his campaign. Maes visited with Anthony Mazzola, left, and David Hokit. It was Maes’ second visit to Meeker. “I was thrilled with the event. We’ve been trying to get Ken Buck here for a while and it was great to finally hear from him in person, and the surprise visit from Dan Maes was a real treat,” said Sam Thiessen, president of the Meeker Tea Party group. Left: A cameraman for a PBS station in Denver filmed Monday’s event for a political piece about “Colorado being a microcosm of the country.” A film crew from the BBC also covered the event. Below left: Ken Buck, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, visited with Thiessen, right.