Bornhofts to add Grand Marshal title to memory banks

When you've spent your entire life in the community you proudly call home it isn't hard to harvest memories of your favorite weekend event that rolls around once a year. For Cork and Trilla Bornhoft, reminiscing of Corn Festivals past comes pretty easy. In fact the couple could probably sit for hours with company and recall stories from their memory banks of Haxtun Corn Festivals over the years, looking back on their favorite class floats, years when the weather didn't cooperate or when their children and friends made record catching snags in the egg toss competition.

"Harvesting Memories" serves as the theme for the 103rd annual Corn Festival and as the Haxtun community comes together on Sept. 28 to celebrate, Cork and Trilla Bornhoft will be honored as this year's Grand Marshals.

Cork and Trilla were married in October 1962 at the Christ the King Catholic Church in Haxtun. The two met while on a double-date but decided perhaps they liked each other more than their respective dates at the time.

On their first outing together, Cork and Trilla went to the movie theater in Haxtun to see Psycho, one she had already seen. As she kept trying to ruin it and tell Cork what was coming up next, he had to tell her to hush several times throughout the production. Trilla laughs now that the move date must have turned out OK.

Trilla, the daughter of Ward and Eula Lindon, was born and raised in Haxtun along with one younger brother. She graduated from Haxtun High School in 1958. After school she attended business school in Denver and worked for an insurance office before returning home and working at Holloways in Sterling.

Cork, or Dennis his given name, attended elementary and junior high school at St. Peter's Catholic Church. He was the second youngest of 10 and struggled to say the word turkey while helping his older brother Paul on his turkey farm and instead called them "corkys." His siblings began calling him Cork and the nickname stuck, most now only knowing him by Cork, not Dennis. Cork's parents, Jack and Elizabeth, lived south of St. Peter's where they raised their family.

Cork graduated from Fleming High School in 1957 and after worked on Paul's turkey farm and traveled on harvest crews until he was drafted into the United States Army in 1962.

Trilla said she remembers the week of their wedding being a trying one as it landed at the same time as the Cuban Crisis and many of their family members chosen to be in their wedding party also served in the military.

She said Cork made it home on leave just fine and that Monday the two made it to get their marriage license but later in the week the Kennedy administration declared the Cuban Crisis and the rest of the wedding party wasn't allowed leave to come home for the ceremony.

"We were having dinner at his moms and everyone was upset and in tears because no one could get home," Trilla said.

Eventually, she said, an uncle and other brothers filled in where needed and Cork got to stay the remainder of his leave and the two were married. Afterwards, the Bornhofts headed to Texas.

"The Cuban Crisis will always have a place in my memory," she said. "And not a good one."

Cork and Trilla will celebrate 62 years of marriage at the end of next month.

The two lived in Texas on a military base before Cork was shipped to Germany for three weeks. When he went to Germany, Trilla returned home to Haxtun. When he was discharged, Cork returned home, too. As an honorably discharged veteran, Cork is a long-time member of the Haxtun American Legion.

Cork began working for the State of Colorado by maintaining and living at the Daily rest area until 1969 when he was then transferred to the State Highway Department because the rest area was closed. He maintained roadways, specifically highways 6 and 59, until 2001 when he retired after 33 years of service with CDOT.

After retirement, Cork worked for the Town of Haxtun part-time mowing the park, baseball field and other areas of town. He did that for 17 years. He also served on the Haxtun Housing Board.

"He really enjoyed that," Trilled said of Cork's time on the Housing Board. "He was a quiet member but enjoyed it."

When he first returned to Haxtun, he worked for the company that built the Haxtun Hospital and he still remembers placing the flooring throughout the main hospital building.

Cork and Trilla eventually grew their family, adding four children, Chris in 1964, Wendy in 1967, Amy in 1968 and Marc in 1979. Trilla worked at a preschool housed by the hospital until their youngest son Marc was born and then she stayed home to raise him.

In 1983 she went to work as the receptionist for Dr. Robert Ridenour and then for Dr. James Ley until 2001. At that time, the hospital took over the medical clinic and Trilla went to work there until 2012 when she retired.

After her retirement from the medical office, Trilla had several part time jobs at the hospital, town hall, credit union and Haxtun T-Shirt Shop. She also volunteered at Retread Threads and was a long-time member of the Haxtun School District Accountability Committee.

The Bornhofts are long-time members of the Christ the King Church in Haxtun and are some of the longest members of the church still living.

While raising and providing for their family, the Bornhofts also served their community in a number of ways. Cork was an active member of the Haxtun Volunteer Fire Department for 23 years and along with that, Trilla served as a Siren.

Trilla said she remembers Cork being the department flower girl and also secretary, specifically because she had to help write minutes a time or two. Cork also served as Chief at one time. His role as a fireman is one he has passed down to both of his sons who have at one time both served on the department.

"He loved being on the fire department and they had a great group that got along," Trilla said.

Cork also helped run the chains at home Bulldog football games for many, many years and the two are long-standing members of the Haxtun Booster Club. Cork and Trilla were named Super Boosters in 2022.

Thinking back on Corn Festivals over the years, Trilla said there are many memories that pop up, including one where it snowed and the flakes were so big they piled up on the bill of Corks hat.

"When the parade was over, he shook his hat off and said, 'well I guess I'll go plow snow,'" she said. "That was the end of the celebration that day. It was snowing too hard."

Many Corn Festivals were busy between their children's activities and Cork working at the fire hall. She said he would be down at the fire hall early in the morning to make breakfast and she might see him for a minute or two for the parade but then they would scatter to go work where they were needed or to help the kids with what they had going on in the afternoon.

Now they enjoy re-connecting with friends and loved ones they don't see often. On the years her class gets together for reunions, Trilla rides on her class float.

"One year we were at the start of the parade and by the time we got back to the school it was still going, so we circled around and went back through again," she said with a smile recalling that it may have been her 50th reunion when her classmates asked their former teacher, Barbara Meakins, to ride on the float.

And then there's the street games.

"I always love the street games," Trilla said. " I remember the miraculous catch that won Marc and Casey (Goddard) the egg toss. Considering he was the quarterback and Marc was the wide receiver and their roles were reversed. They're getting older now and they aren't quite as good anymore. That year they just went further and further and further away."

Trilla's memory of the egg toss her youngest son won is from 2010, marking their fifth consecutive win. It earned the Bornhoft/Goddard champion egg toss duo their very own trophy that now sits at town hall and at this time every year sparks friendly, competitive chatter as teams prepare for the popular upcoming event. Since then, winners add their names to the trophy as their mark in egg toss history.

The Haxtun Corn Festival is Saturday, Sept. 28 and will commemorate the community's 103rd annual celebration. And as those before them have, Cork and Trilla will leave their mark as Grand Marshals, creating new memories for their loved ones to harvest years on down the road.