Southeast Weld County Fair Edition
Volume 15 • Edition 15
August 3, 2022
Delivering to over 17,000 homes & businesses including all of Fort Lupton and Lochbuie.
“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light” George Washington “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed” Thomas Jefferson
A Story Told, A Century Old
Duane Neese, SEWCF Vice President It all started 100 years ago when 5 gentlemen, Mr. N.A. Pippin, Mr. C. Ohmstead, Mr. L.I. Bargar, Mr. R.L. Martin and Dr. Geo. W. Cooper started the Keenesburg Fair Association for local youth and community members to compete in areas they desired. Dr. Cooper donated the land the original fairgrounds was built on. In the early years not a lot of facilities were at the fairgrounds, so folks had to improvise such as building a rodeo arena with their vehicles. Parking their cars side by side making the circular arena, with headlights shining, the rodeo stage was set. Also in the early years, project displays were located off-site, at set locations such as the Potato Dock and American Legion. Along with youth projects, the fair also had an open division that allowed women and men from the community to compete. The women would generally bring fresh baked goods along with canned goods, while the men would bring in their crops to be judged against their friends and neighbors. Along with all the livestock shows, rodeos and general competition, there were also many sporting events which included a community baseball game, gunny sack races and horse races. There even used to be fat man and fat lady races; the one rule was no man under 300 pounds. As time passed, the fairboard and other volunteers built more facilities, trying to keep all activities in one location. In 1952, the name changed to the Southeast Weld County Junior Fair and Rodeo Association–the name it still goes by today. Through good times and bad, the fair kept getting better. During the late 1990s, the fairboard spent three years working midnight bingo in various locations to stay “afloat”. In the early 2000s the fairboard had outgrown its original location and in 2006 it moved to where it is today. With many hours of sweat and dedication, the buildings were moved and reconstructed, with hopes and dreams for the future. Over the years, the fairboard made numerous improvements, including the main building which hosts community events such as weddings, meetings, judging competitions, etc. With the recent addition to the building, it now has more room for storage and flexibility. Today, the Southeast Weld Fair Association is the only fair in the state of Colorado, and possibly in the nation, that is 100% community-funded and independently operated without county or state funding. What started 100 years ago with five members has turned into a board of 30 with the continued support of a generous community. Today there are currently five families that represent multiple generations serving on the fairboard: Arnolds, Abbotts, Graybills, Schreibvogels and Pralles. Along with new board members, and many others that have since moved on, the SEWCF continues to be a popular annual event for community and participants alike. With the continued growth of exhibits and community, the fairboard is looking forward to expanding livestock barns, possible property addition and the potential for an indoor arena to accommodate more activities for our youth and community. In observance of the 100 year celebration, the fairboard has added a new lineup of events along with keeping our past traditions alive. To kick off the fair, a NSPA Truck Pull will take place on August 5th, followed by a Ranch Rodeo on Saturday night and Kid’s Rodeo on Sunday. The 4-day fair events start with Team Roping on Wednesday night with the Livestock and Home Ec/General and Natural projects arriving on Thursday, August 11th. There will be CPRA Rodeo performances on Thursday and Friday nights. Saturday morning will start with the annual parade downtown, followed by the Junior Market Livestock Sale and barbecue. There will be the traditional sporting events after the parade at the fairgrounds. A live concert with Chancey Williams, Clare Dunn and S.J. McDonald is on Saturday night in the arena. The 100th Anniversary is special and dear to us. If anyone has memorabilia from past fairs we would love to include them in our celebration. The fairboard has a story to tell that’s a century old and we want to make sure we have the biggest and best celebration possible. As you know, it takes a village to accomplish great things and we would love to have your active support and continued monetary donations. As an ambitious fairboard, we never want to lose sight of our youth, community and traditions. Thank you for your support!
Keenesburg Election November 2022
Mayor and 4 Trustee Positions Will be Available to Run For Think About Running! See Page 2 for more information
TABOR Checks are Headed to the Mail. Here’s What You Need to Know
by Andrew Kenney and Megan Verlee, Colorado Public Radio Coloradans are about to start getting checks from the state. It’s TABOR refund money, arriving months ahead of schedule per new legislation backers say will help people struggling with the crush of inflation. But the checks come with a few catches. Here’s some of what you need to know about the incoming tax refund. How much will folks get? The state estimates that about 3.7 million people will be eligible. They’ll get $750 each or $1,500 for joint filers, like married couples. If this includes you, when might you get this extra cash? The checks — and yes, they’re actual checks — are going to start reaching people’s mailboxes the first weekend in August, and everyone who has already filed their taxes this year should have them by Labor Day. Who’s getting them? Am I eligible? It’s for anybody who lived in Colorado for all of last year and turned 18 by the time the year was over. And you have to have filed your tax return or applied for various tax credits by June 30, 2022. People who don’t normally have to file a tax return, like seniors with no reportable income, should still file a 2021 return in order to get this refund. What if I didn’t file my taxes in time? Is it too late? It’s not too late, but it’s going to take longer to get a check. You could still file for an extension now and submit your taxes by October, in which case you’ll get the refund early next year. Where’s this money coming from? The government brings in revenues from a few different sources, primarily income and sales taxes. But the state constitution has a provision that sets a limit on how much the state can actually keep in a given year — the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR. Stronger economy means more TABOR money for Colorado taxpayers, at least $750 When the state collects any money above the annual cap, it has to give it back to the public. And right now, the state is running a couple billion dollars above the limit of what they can keep. It does that in a couple of ways, including property tax breaks for seniors and disabled veterans and a slight temporary cut to the state’s income tax rate. But this year the bulk of the money is going out in direct checks. Were we always going to get these refunds? The government has to pay this money back. But, according to a new law passed by legislators and the Polis administration, the refunds are going out this fall instead of next spring. The story of TABOR and how a man named Douglas Bruce convinced voters to pass this amendment to the state constitution. How did they decide the amount? Normally the refunds are handed out on a sliding scale, where you’d get a bigger TABOR Checks are Headed to the Mail. Here’s What You Need to Know continued from page 5...
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE Page 2: Way of the World Page 2: Gillian Smith Announces Run for Weld County Council At Large Seat Page 2: Think About Running for Office in Keenesburg Page 3: Town of Lochbuie Development Update Page 7: Allo Fiber Grand Opening in Hudson Page 11: Cheryl Dehner – New CFO for Weld County Page 14: Annual Fort Morgan Fly In Page 15: Kum and Go Opens in Keenesburg Page 16: SE Weld Chamber Announce Five $1,000 Scholarship Winners