Range Call 2015 | The Herald Times | Serving Meeker, Rangely, Dinosaur & Northwest Colorado

The Sawyer Brown band—whose roots date back to 1974—attracted fans who filled the lawn, parking lots and surrounding hillsides with spectators on Saturday following opening act Chancey Williams and The Younger Brothers band from Laramie, Wyo. Those who had Range Call wristbands were able to get up to the stage several deep to take photos. The crowd made it obvious they liked Sawyer Brown while the band played many of its oldies and a few newer tunes.

Despite some blustery wind and a few sprinkles, people filled Meeker Town Park, Circle Park, many nearby intersections and some of the loft perches around town with a view of Cemetery Hill to take in a dramatic fireworks display on Saturday. There were at least 100 more shells to shoot off this year than there were last year and there was a greater variety, which seemed to thrill the crowd.

The “Pageant,” which is a re-enactment of the Meeker Massacre, recreates the last Native American uprising in the United States and enlightens us as to how the Utes did away with the White River Indian Agency where Nathan Meeker was the Indian Agent. The actual incident occurred in September 1879.

One of the entries in the Range Call Parade on Monday morning was that of the Range Call can-can performers who took part in “The Pageant,” which is the re-enactment of the Meeker Massacre. The parade had an increase in entries it seemed, and they were widely varied.

Members of the Meeker VFW Ladies Auxiliary carried a large American flag in the Range Call parade on Saturday morning. While the women carried the flag, the VFW led the parade, and their entry included an old United States Army truck that carried veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who couldn’t walk in the parade.

The diesel exhaust was pouring out of this truck at the tractor and truck pull Thursday night at the Rio Blanco County Fairgrounds. The driver of the diesel was Rod Smith of Grand Junction.

The expected carnival was not allowed to set up at Ute Park due to a license not being issued in time, but there were plenty of inflatable slides and other structures available for the kids to occupy their time and there were a number of crafts vendors and a couple of food outlets.

Mesmerized by the loud roar of engines, the smell of burning rubber and the toughness of the trucks and tractors trying to pull a multi-ton weight more than 200 feet, the crowd at the Rio Blanco County Fairgrounds filled the stands for the performances.

The banker (played by J.H. Sheridan) has the gunman fire his six-gun right outside his teller’s box on Saturday during a recreation of that fateful day on Oct. 13, 1896, when Jim Shirley and his gang attempted to rob the Meeker Bank. Shirley lost his life as did the other two gang members.

Always present when there is a crowd, the Meeker Lions Club is there to feed the masses during all three days at the Rio Blanco County Fairgrounds, starting with Thursday night, when the Lions were slammed by the near-capacity crowd for the truck and tractor pull. The Lions had full crews cooking everything from sausage to hamburgers to funnel cakes and serving all kinds of drinks and snacks.

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