The Farmers Telephone Company museum is located in Pleasant View, Colo. Photo courtesy of Connie Baber.
On Saturday, Aug. 28, Farmers Telephone Company will be holding its 100th year celebration in Pleasant View, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the new Pleasant View Fire Department, 15235 County Road CC (across from the elementary school.)
The 100th anniversary of the company was actually in 2020, but the party had to be postponed due to COVID-19, so now the company has 101 years of operation to celebrate.
The company established a museum in 2008 documenting the origins and history of the local telephone company (See Four Corners Free Press, June 2020).
The museum, adjacent to the company’s Pleasant View office, will be open for visitors during the centennial celebration, and is also currently open to the public. Interested citizens wishing to see the museum exhibits can stop by the Pleasant View office at 26077 Highway 491 during business hours to get access to the museum.
The centennial festivities will include a music performance by the Bar D Wranglers. Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair to enjoy the show.
In addition to music, snacks and food will be available, including BBQ and other local food options. There will also be snacks and treats for the kids, including sno-cones and cotton candy. An anniversary cake will also be a part of the celebration.
Farmers General Manager Terry Hinds will be in attendance, giving door prizes to those who attend, including T- shirts, hats and other items. There will be games with prizes as well, with Kalvin’s Kids, the Pleasant View 4-H Club, helping out with the activities.
Hinds intends to honor local first responders and retired company board members for their service.
Current and past Farmers Telephone Company employees will also be at the event, with many recognized for their service, making the celebration a great opportunity to meet and greet the dedicated people providing your local telephone and internet services. There will be a photo booth as well, in case attendees want their picture taken with Farmers Telephone community members. Rumor has it that even a county commissioner or two will be present for the festivities.
All ages are welcome. It will be a lot of fun and a good chance to celebrate the hard work and dedication of those who have worked for over a century to bring the area technologically up to date.
Farmers Telephone Company also sponsors a monthly raffle at the Cortez Farmers Market, in which participants can win $50 in market bucks (to be spent at the market), along with a sturdy canvas tote bag. The next raffle is Aug. 7, which is Farmers Market week and will include some other market festivities.
Summer may seem fleeting but there are still a lot of summer activities going on… A 100th anniversary celebration in honor of the longstanding local telephone company provides a great opportunity to come out and enjoy the fun.
For more information, call Farmers at 970-562-1824.
