Roughly 950 Rangely residents and visitors took part in and enjoyed the annual Rangely Elks Club barbecue early Monday afternoon at Rangely’s Elks Park, the central location for activities that wrapped up four days of Septemberfest. Besides the hugely successful barbecue, Elks Park played host to a large arts and crafts fair that lined the park except for the northwest portion, which played home to the annual car show that featured several dozen vehicles on display to the public. Well in excess of 1,000 people were in attendance at Elks Park on Monday for all the activities being held.RANGELY I As the largest annual festival-like gathering in Rangely, Septemberfest has always been a big deal for locals with plenty of activities for enjoyment.
A big hit every year with kids is the Rangely Police Department’s Bike Rally, where children can test out their bicycles on the rally course, register their bikes with the Rangely Police Department and pick up a free helmet courtesy of the Western Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Parks District.
Rangely Police Chief Vince Wilczek said the rally has been an annual event since he began on the force 24 years ago. He said he looks forward to the event every year.
“It’s about the interaction with the kids and having fun with them while teaching them about bicycle safety,” Wilczek said.
A new event this year was the grand opening of The Tank. For the first time, the musical tank was open to the public for tour and play.
For Gale Palmer, who had heard about The Tank since moving to Rangely in 1968 but had yet to encounter it first hand, The Tank was a surprising experience.
“It wasn’t what I expected; the sound was like a cathedral,” she said.
Leslie Nielsen was also impressed with her first trip into The Tank.
“It sounds amazing,” she said. “The sound travels in a swirl, which is really cool.”
The Tank promoters also seemed happy with the event and said they had more people dropping by to check out the tank than anticipated, including people coming from as far as Grand Junction for a chance to get in there.
Monday’s craft fair and car show in Elks Park offered unique items for purchase, games to play and fantastic cars to view. However, the highlight for many wasspending time with friends.
“Getting to know everybody at Septemberfest is great,” said Valley Jackson, who was encouraging local mothers to relax and get to know each other at the Rangely Mom’s Booth. Jackson was also happy to relax with a treat, saying her favorite part of Septemberfest was all of the junk food.
With 947 people having been served for the Rangely Elks Club’s barbecue luncheon on Monday, the event seems to be drawing a crowd, and, according to local Donna Petersburg, was “just as good as ever.”
WRBM Recreation and Parks District Board Member Jennifer Noel was pleased with the four-day celebration.
“It’s great to see people enjoying the day and each other,” she said.
Tim Webber, director of the WRBM District, had similar sentiments to express.
“This world is hurting enough, and we don’t have enough laughter anymore,” he said. “It seems this old world of ours is on a downward spiral with nothing but problems wherever you turn. It’s not what you can do for your country anymore, it’s what can I get from my neighbor!
“Septemberfest to me is what this country should be about—a great common sense approach to how to be an American and one where people care for each other,” Webber said. “It’s to honor the working men and women of this area.”
With Septemberfest 2015 wrapped up, the WRBM district will soon begin preparing for next year’s celebration and the chance to give Rangely another long weekend of fun.
More than 50 cars, truck, roadsters and such took part in the annual Rangely Car Show, which was set up at Elks Park after the downtown parade on Monday. There was roughly a spread of 100 years between the oldest and newest cars on display.
Looking a little tired and relaxed after the tough competition, Rangely’s Pat Harris sits with his empty bowl of chili after winning the Septemberfest Chili Cook-off on Saturday in Elks Park. Harris, who also won the chili cook-off last year, was successful in defending his title. The chilis from the cook-off were also quite a success with the viewers/tasters.
Andrea Gianinetti and her daughters, Nora and Iris, pose with their new helmets received during the Rangely Police Department’s Annual Bike Rally on Saturday. Lots of area children took part in the rally.
Several hundred Rangely residents and visitors were treated to breakfast provided by the Rangely Fire Department as part of Septemberfest on Monday morning. The firefighters served coffee, juice, scrambled eggs, sausage and pancakes as a fundraiser event. The event took place at the firehouse on Main Street.
The Rangely Museum hosted several hundred people on Sunday afternoon for its annual ice cream social. There were more than 10 flavors of ice cream, and Fiscus and Gravy provided the entertainment for those on hand.
Bill Hume and Julie Lohr rode in the Septemberfest parade on Monday morning as grand marshals of the parade. The two were reportedly honored for all the good they have done for the schools and community in Rangely.
The cheering was fast and furious for the Mud Tug-of-War Sunday evening after the mud obstacle course race at the old Parkview Elementary School site. When it was all done, the tug-of-war team from the Rangely Fire Department won the contest.
The annual Muddy Dip ‘n’ Dash was set up a bit differently this year and one added station was to climb under a water and mud-filled hole covered by a net. Several kids and even some adults took part in this cooling event, put on the Rangely Fire Department.
New Creation and Rangely Christian churches combined efforts on Sunday evening at Elks Park for their annual service, and that was followed by a free pulled pork barbecue, which was enjoyed by several hundred people. In addition to the pork sandwiches, there was a wide variety of vegetables, salads and desserts.
Those residents and visitors who took part in Rangely’s Septemberfest last weekend came in all shapes, ages and styles. This young lady, who was working the arts and crafts fair on Monday, showed off perhaps the most stylish of all hats at the party.
