On Saturday, Feb. 10, the Southwestern Cowbelles and Cattlewomen will be raffling off their 70th anniversary quilt at the annual Southwestern Colorado Livestock Association banquet, a tradition that has taken place for years in Cortez.
The handmade quilt is created using the brands of paying members in the Cowbelles organization, with many of the individual squares being sewn together by the brand owner. About 40 brands are featured on the quilt each year, and all must be a legally registered brand in the state to qualify.
“The center of this quilt has a larger block that has 70th anniversary on it, so it'll be a unique. kind of keepsake quilt. All the brands on the quilt belong to Cowbelles/Cattlewomen members. So in order to have your brand on there, you can either make it yourself or we have individuals in our group that will make it for other people,” committee member Bunny McComb said.
Once the quilt squares are all gathered together from participants, Ann Neeley, 95, puts all the pieces together to create the final quilt. She has been creating the final quilt for at least 25 years, according to McComb.
The quilt is displayed at Brand Central on the southeast corner of East Main Street and South Beech Street in Cortez, where it will remain until the banquet in February.
The Cowbelles formed in Cortez in 1954, and the first Cowbelles to win the quilt was Lila Zwicker in 1959. The tradition has carried on ever since then.
The day of the banquet is an “all-day affair,” leading up to the banquet about 7 p.m.
The Livestock Association starts with their annual meeting at 9 a.m., and speakers and politicians can take part in the meeting, as they are able to present to the members of the Livestock Association during that time.
The meeting takes a brief break for a beef luncheon, complete with side dishes and dessert, before the meeting concludes around 2 or 3 p.m.
At the banquet, there will be food included in the ticket price, raffle items and dancing following the dinner and the announcement of the 2024 Stockman and Cowbelles of the Year.
The drawing for the quilt will conclude the dinner portion of the banquet, opening the floor for dancing.
“We are celebrating our 70th anniversary of being in an organization here in Montezuma County, so, you know, we've been in existence for quite a long time, and I do believe it's also the 75th anniversary of the Livestock Association,” McComb said.
Banquet tickets cost $45 per person, and raffle tickets cost $1 for one ticket or $5 for six tickets. McComb noted that oftentimes raffle tickets are sold out by the evening of the banquet. Individuals don’t have to be present to win the quilt raffle.
Tickets for the event can be purchased from any Cowbelles member.
Quilt raffle tickets
To buy raffle tickets for the 70th anniversary brand quilt, call a member of the Cowbelles/Cattlewomen Committee. They are.
Mary Ellen McComb: (970) 739-0972.
Joylene Higgins: (970) 676-9532.
Ann Neely: (970) 562-4655.
Bunny McComb: (970) 560-4807.
Erin Gordanier: (970) 529-3291.
McComb also shared that proceeds go toward beef industry promotion and education through booklets, educational flyers and more that are used at events like the Ag Expo.
“We have booths at Ag Expo and we do booths at the county fair, and many times we have literature that comes from the Beef Council. We're getting more and more questions from people wanting to buy local-sourced beef,” McComb said. “So we try and answer those questions and be a resource for the community that would like more information. We've done education things in classrooms and taught lessons about agriculture and about the beef industry. That's our primary purpose, and the raffle provides a monetary resource for us to go out and do those things in our community here.”
