Kudos to WREA co-op
Dear Editor:
We want to extend our wholehearted appreciation and thanks for a job well-done last week up on County Rd. 17. The WREA linemen team and their boss, Todd Gerloff, did an excellent job in securing a replacement pole, the old one having been severely clawed by a large bear, into virtually solid rock, as well as cutting several dead aspens/evergreens endangering the electric lines.
These linemen are skilled professionals who work very hard to keep our critical electricity up and running out in rural RBC, where accessibility can be quite the challenge!
Many thanks from the Frances Brown Family
(Holger and Tracy)
Lukens’ voice good choice for Rio Blanco County
Dear Editor:
Rio Blanco County has an opportunity to elect a Colorado representative who will represent our values and understands the NW Colorado rural way of life. My choice for House District 26 is Meghan Lukens.
I appreciate Meghan Lukens’ energy, enthusiasm, and devotion to promoting issues that concern Northwest Colorado. Her desire to listen to and ask questions of the people she meets demonstrates her desire to learn from her constituents. She will cooperatively work with other representatives to find evidence-based solutions that improve all the lives of NW Colorado citizens.
Meghan grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. After graduating from college with a degree in History and acquiring a licensure in Secondary Social Studies Education, Meghan moved to Kosovo where she taught at the American School of Kosovo. A job opening for a World History and Civics teacher at Steamboat Springs High School provided an opportunity for Meghan to return to Steamboat Springs. Living in a small apartment with a fellow teacher since being employed at the high school has given Meghan first-hand experience of the affordable housing crisis in NW Colorado, making her especially determined to focus on creative and collaborative solutions to this problem.
Being an outdoor enthusiast and living in an agricultural community gives Meghan first hand knowledge of NW Colorado communities’ needs. She will promote economic diversity and advocate for our agriculture and outdoor recreation economy. Meghan will work to protect the Western Slope’s water resources. She will utilize her perspective as a high school teacher and her Master’s degree in Leadership in Educational Organizations to advocate for educational policy that promotes a quality education system and prioritizes school funding.
As our representative, Meghan will focus on the economy, education, and environmental issues of NW Colorado. There is no other voice to amplify RBCs voice other than Meghan Lukens for HD 26.
Debbie Frazier
Meeker
Thanks to MVB for Summer Festival
Dear Editor:
What was thought to be a simple pie contest turned into a fantastic fundraiser for HopeWest. We raised over $3,500 for HopeWest Meeker programming. We are so grateful that the team at Mountain Valley Bank suggested HopeWest to participate in this sector of the event.
This could not have been accomplished without the generous donation of 24 homemade pies from the following community bakers: Tonie Phillippi, Sherry Mathews, Linda and Liane Jones, Viney Bowman, Sparky Pappas, Lori Zentmeyer, Tawny Halandras, Jackie Sherman, Allison Morgan, Ginger Dewitt, Christine Halandras, Nicky Shriver, Nikki White, Kris Arcolesse, Brooke Slaughter, Judy Davis, Cassie Denney, Kent Borchard, Constance Hughes, Natasha Goedert, Jewell Kindler and Natalie Harvey.
It was a tough job for our judges Mike McGruder, Keith Whitaker and Eric Dibenedetto but they were able to award Overall pie contest winner to Natalie Harvey, Best Fruit pie entry to Jewell Kindler and Best Seasonal pie entry to Natasha Goedert.
We all love to celebrate with pie but our buyers really love pie! With the delicious entries it was easy for our special HopeWest supporters, auctioneer Buckshot Sheridan, and bid takers Billy Goedert, Clint Shults, Shannon and Mikayla Sheridan to get the crowd excited to take home a special treat.
Thank you to buyers: Tawny Halandras, Elk Creek Ranch, Rio Blanco Ranch, Marvine Ranch, Meeker Café, Kelly and Vicky Crawford, Michelle Coalson, 9 Mile Guest Ranch-Rocky Pappas, Kent and Christy Borchard, Smoking River Brewery, Ginger Dewitt, Coal Creek Farms-Billy Goedert, Overton Recycling-Lee Overton, Christine and Gus Halandras, John Strate, Bar 7 Ranch, Grant Family Dentistry, Wade Bradfield.
Many thanks to all that participated and who continue to support HopeWest!
Sincerely,
Diana Jones
HopeWest Meeker Program Director and Volunteer Coordinator
Meeker Mustang Makeover took a village
Dear Editor:
The tiny black mustang mare “Doreen” took the highest selling prize ever, $9,250, (a wild horse with only 120 days of training!) at this year’s Meeker Mustang Makeover auction after the competition. Every mustang found a home, and trainers excelled once again in their extraordinary efforts over the high speed 120 day competition to show the relationship and trust that can be built with these wild horses.
Our Meeker Mustang Makeover board credits you, our local Rio Blanco County community, as well as our dedicated trainers for making the Fourth Annual event such a success. The unique partnership with our dedicated White River BLM partners takes a whole year to organize and many hours of volunteer work as well the support of local ranches and businesses and organizations.
Our goal? To make the event a bigger success every year, encourage other communities with wild horse herds to do the same, and continue the progress of building this into a new destination attraction for Rio Blanco County while finding healthy productive homes for the many extra wild horses in the West and in our County.
Our supporters are the BEST! Gold Sponsors: Town of Meeker, White River Electric Association, and Tri-State Silver Sponsors: Rio Blanco Herald and Level Head Audio, Rio Blanco County Lodging Board, The Bank of the San Juans, Westlands LLC, Rio Blanco County, Cimarron Communications, Rio Blanco Historical Society and the White River Office of the Bureau of Land Management. Bronze Sponsors included Ducey’s Electric, Meeker Lions Club, 4M Ranch, Global Investments, Ranch and Resort Realty, Mountain West Insurance, Bullocks Fine Western Wear, Mantle Ranch, Columbine Ford, Steamboat Veterinary Hospital/Mike Gotchey DVM, Curicyn, Meeker General Mercantile, East Coast Friends of the MMM, Identity Graphics/Heidi Richards, Slash E/V Ranch, and the Piceance Mustangs. Northwest Auto Sales and Service, Pistol River Leather, Wendl’s, Kim Ekstrom Photography, White River Inn, and Kiser Construction.
The Meeker Lions Club stepped up big time to provide outstanding and delicious food and beverage service at the Western Themed Mustang Mingle party both the night before, and the day of the event, with the highlights being the delicious Navajo Taco and the sold out Mustang Margarita. Our auctioneering team, Longhorn Video Auctions, Kail and Denise Mantle, were joined this year with the colorful duo of Cookie and Jo Lockhart.
Eric Pfleuger and his 13 hand black horse “Doreen” won first place Under Saddle receiving a $3,000 check and the belt buckle sponsored by Steve Mantle (in memory of Tim Mantle) as well as a beautiful bridle made by Mike Brennan of Pistol River Leather. Rangely student Clay Allred came in second Under Saddle with his horse “Rosalita”, winning $2,000 and a buckle sponsored by Kiser Construction. Another Rio Blanco high school student, Jericho Stallings, placed third Under Saddle with his mare, “Shooting Star.” Both of these students wow’d the crowd with their handling of their calm and beautiful tiger legged sorrel dun mares.
Kristina Mitchell won the Yearling first place, and received a buckle sponsored by Robyn M. Blackwood. Nina Bradley also of Steamboat Springs, won the runner up for the Yearling division with a buckle sponsored by Mike Gotchey, who also sponsored the “Fire in the Gut Award” which went to 11-year old Bear Emlyn. All youth contestants received a $500 scholarship award from the Makeover with Curicyn providing baskets to selected trainers.
Huge thanks to our judges, Steve Mantle of Mantle Ranch, Wheatland, Wyoming; Bridget Strang of Strang Ranch, Carbondale, Colorado; and Mindy Bower of UhOh Ranch, Kiowa, Colorado. Thanks to Boyd Richardson, director of the Rio Blanco County Fairgrounds for providing a ready for action fairgrounds with excellent footing and spacious accommodations for our horses and exhibitors.
Thanks to all our vendors, and our star rodeo announcer, Dusty Sagers of Rush Valley, Utah.
The livestream video provided by Level Head Audio and Cimarron Communications, supported by the Rio Blanco Herald once again designed, produced and printed the awesome Auction Brochure highlighting this year’s terrific trainers and horses, which with the livestream enabled a national audience to tune in from their homes to join in the fun.
It wouldn’t have been possible without each of our 20 trainers and their families. These trainers jumped in with both feet, training these wild untouched horses for 120 days, and pulled their entire families with them to give each of these horses a chance at a better life. They came from all over Colorado and gave it their all. And of course, our buyers were essential. Buyers came from all across the state and locally in Meeker and Rangely to give these horses a new home with their foundational 120 days of training.
And to our many volunteers — a huge thank you, to each of you for spending your day selling tickets, helping trainers, and moving obstacles, hanging banners, making stick horses (Cindy Rohde) and more.
We thank each and every one of you, and hope you’ll invite your friends and family to join us next year for another wild and exciting…and unique…Meeker Mustang Makeover!!! See you next year!
Meeker Mustang Makeover Board:
Deirdre Macnab, Robyn Blackwood, JH Sheridan, Jane Turnburke, John Rodgers, Kyle Arnold-BLM Liaison, Elizabeth Pearce, Alicia Mobley, Cindy Rohde, Kelli Lane, Tonya Merz, Steve Mantle, Mustang Advisor, Mike Gotchey, DVM, Veterinary Advisor, Bridget Strang, Judge Advisor.
Thoughts expressed on opinion pages are exclusively those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Herald Times. You are welcome to submit signed letters on matters of local interest to [email protected], mail to PO Box 720, Meeker, CO 81641 or drop off at 304 4th St., Meeker. there is no charge.
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