Hofmeisters named Grand Marshals of 102nd Corn Fest

There's just something special about the last Saturday in September in Haxtun. The weekend marks a special celebration in which community members gather to celebrate the end of corn harvest by means of the annual Haxtun Corn Festival. For Steve and Nora Hofmeister there have been many memorable Corn Festival celebrations throughout the years, but for the long-time Haxtun couple, two stand out significantly; Corn Festival of 1977 and Corn Festival 2023.

A late Saturday in September 1977 marked the 56th annual Corn Festival celebration in downtown Haxtun. Then, a 22-year-old Steve had finished his time at Northeastern Junior College and returned to Haxtun to help on the family farm. Meanwhile, Nora, a 21-year-old Fleming native, was working at a bank in Sterling. A mutual friend of Steve and Nora's introduced the two at the annual Corn Festival celebration that fall of 1977 and as fate would have it, that friend's hunch to pair the two was right. A year later, Steve and Nora were married at St. Peter's Catholic Church south of Fleming.

Now, as the Hofmeister family has grown to include four children and 11 grandchildren, the Hofmeisters will be honored as the 2023 Haxtun Corn Festival Grand Marshals - a long-standing honor for those who have made a lasting impact on the Haxtun community.

Steve was born in Riverside, Calif. where his father served in the Air Force. While he was still an infant, the Hofmeisters returned to the Haxtun area to farm. Later, Steve graduated from Haxtun High School with the Class of 1973. After high school, he attended NJC and served as a State FFA officer before planting his roots in Haxtun and soon after met Nora.

Nora grew up in Fleming where she attended Catholic school through the sixth grade. She graduated from Fleming High School in 1974 and furthered her education in Colorado Springs. Nora went to work for Security State Bank in Sterling, now known as Wells Fargo, where she worked when she met Steve in Haxtun that Corn Festival.

Steve and Nora, both the oldest of their families, started a family of their own in 1979 when the couple welcomed daughter Alicia. Krystle joined the family in 1983 and in 1985, Steve and Nora welcomed twin boys, Russell and Travis, completing the Hofmeister family.

In 1988, the Hofmeisters started an insurance agency, first operating out of their home northeast of Haxtun. A year later, Steve and Nora needed more room for the Hofmeister Insurance Agency and re-located their office to downtown Haxtun. In the early 2000s, the Hofmeisters moved their business a block south to its current location, now operated with the help of their daughters, Alicia Schram and Krystle Koberstein. In addition to the insurance agency, Steve and Nora owned the local lumber yard from 1994 to 2010.

More recently, the Hofmeisters sold their house in the country and built a beautiful new home in town near the school.

In addition to long-standing, main street business owners, the Hofmeisters have been a staple of the Haxtun community, serving their church, school, hospital and other community organizations in a number of capacities.

Steve served on the Haxtun Hospital Board, the Frenchman Ground Water District and the Colorado Transportation Board. He is currently a long-standing member of the Haxtun Lions Club and he and Nora belong to the Haxtun Chamber of Commerce. As Chamber members, both Steve and Nora, as well as their children, have played pivotal roles in a number of community events, but none as significant as the Haxtun Corn Festival.

It is well-known the Hofmeister Insurance Agency has been a hub of information and an important resource for the annual event, now in its 102nd year. There were times Steve and Nora served on the committee themselves and more recently their daughters have carried on the tradition of giving back to their community.

Every Friday morning prior to Corn Festival, Steve and Nora host the entire Lions Club member base for coffee and donuts after the group sets up the hamburger stand; a tradition they've carried on for over 30 years. And then Saturday, Steve and Nora can be found doing their part to help the stand run smoothly. While their kids were growing up, Nora also helped with pies supplied by the junior class from Haxtun High School.

In his "younger days," as Nora put it, Steve was a member of the local Jaycees, a Cub Scout leader and the couple both helped grow the Haxtun Gun Club by hosting trap shoots.

"I cooked and Steve helped run the traps and kept score," Nora said.

Nora also serves as a Lions Club member, is a member of the Haxtun Community Federal Credit Union Board, is on the Haxtun Hospital Foundation, is a member of the PEO Chapter BX and serves on the Missions Committee with the Haxtun United Methodist Church.

She's been an important key player in hosting the annual Haxtun Community Thanksgiving Dinner and is a volunteer and former board member of Retread Threads.

As the two raised their four children in the Haxtun School District, and now as several of their grandchildren attend the same school, Steve and Nora have been long-time members of the Haxtun Booster Club and have supported the local school system immensely.

"We were so surprised at the news of us being chosen as Grand Marshals," Nora said. "I told Steve that we are too young, we have so much more that we want to do. We love our town, community, hospital, school ... everything and everyone that make it all work. We can't imagine having raised our family anywhere else."

Throughout the years, Steve and Nora have had a hand in much of the behind-the-scenes work that make the annual Corn Festival event a success. They also remember a time they enjoyed it as kids with their family.

Steve said he remembers the carnival that would come from the Amherst area and set up on main street. Nora recalls that even if her family was still in harvest at the time, they would pause to make the trip east to Haxtun to attend the family-favorite event. "Everyone came to Corn Festival," Nora added.

Now, the two are often hosts for Steve's class reunion and this year, even as Grand Marshals, things are no different. On Saturday, Sept. 30 when the community comes together to celebrate, the Hofmeisters will lead the 102nd Corn Festival parade and as requested, close by will be Steve's class of 1973 as the group plans to celebrate their 50th class reunion, hosted by the Hofmeisters.

"We are so blessed to have the quality of life we have here," Nora said. "Our doctors and hospital are amazing, if we didn't have them our little town would not be. Our school is second to none. The teachers and staff really, genuinely care for our kids. They promote a safe and healthy environment for learning. The community supports our students in every aspect of their lives. We need to all count our blessings for our town and community."