Fair grand marshals lead parade

    This year’s Phillips County Fair parade grand marshals, Clark and Laverne Starkebaum of Haxtun, may not have raised any barns recently, but they’ve raised about everything else together in their 66 years in Phillips County.
    Whether it’s kids, crops, canaries or even the car wash they helped establish in Haxtun, the Starkebaums have contributed quite a legacy to the county, earning them the honorable title of grand marshals for the parade.
    “We couldn’t believe it,” said Laverne about finding out they had been nominated. “We were really surprised!”
    The couple will lead the “Barn Raising Good Time” parade Saturday, July 29. Proud to represent Phillips County, they have quite a history here.
    Clark was born in Phillips County long enough ago to remember Highway 6 being built, with horses used to grade the road. He graduated from Haxtun High School and left his father’s farm on a scholarship to play football at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. However, Clark was drafted into the Navy in 1945 before getting the chance to play.
    Two years later, he returned to CSU on the G.I. bill, opting not to play football after all.
    Enter Laverne, a Cortez native attending the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. The couple met in December 1948 and were married in August of 1949. Laverne transferred to CSU as they each had two years of college left, and the couple was back in the Haxtun area starting their own farm in 1951.
    The Starkebaums raised five children — Debbie, John, Larry, Steve and Kari. All five were involved in 4-H and the Phillips County Fair, mainly showing calves and the occasional pig. Many of their 16 grandchildren have been involved in 4-H as well.  
    The Starkebaum family tree continues to grow today, with six great-grandchildren and counting.
    All three of the Starkebaums’ sons remained in Phillips County, with John in the 1920s house that Clark’s father built, Larry in Haxtun and Steve on the family farm that Clark and Laverne started.
    In their almost five decades on the farm before moving to town, Clark and Laverne mainly grew wheat and millet and ran Angus cattle. They also dabbled in corn, oats, sunflowers and milo over the years. The animals on the farm also grew in number and fluctuated over time, as they had chickens and horses and even raised dogs and canaries for a time.
    “We tried ’em all,” said Clark.
    “But we didn’t get rich on ’em, let me tell you!” added Laverne with a laugh.
    The Starkebaums were unafraid of hard work as they provided for their family. They described Clark working nights at the Ovid sugar beet factory to buy their children’s shoes and the years that Clark, besides farming, also taught grades 4-8 at the Fairfield schoolhouse. “Those were fun times,” said Clark. “I enjoyed those kids.”
    At home, Laverne was in the field right beside Clark. “Clark and I ran John Deere combines with little headers to start out,” said Laverne. “It was a big day when we could finally afford an umbrella.”
    In 1998, the Starkebaums moved to town in Haxtun, and their son Steve moved out to the farm.
    The Starkebaums have been longtime contributors to the Haxtun community in other ways as well. Clark served on the school board for 12 years and was a charter member of the Haxtun Lions Club. He also sang in the choir and as a soloist at the Haxtun United Methodist Church for about 20 years.
    Laverne spent 10 years as a member of the Haxtun Town Council, 15 years as a hospice volunteer and several years as a trustee for the Haxtun United Methodist Church, besides serving on numerous other committees over the years.
    Both Clark and Laverne have served on church boards and taught Sunday school in their long legacy of giving back. More recently, they also joined in a multi-generational effort to help Steve and his son Seth establish a car wash in Haxtun.
    “It’s going to be really exciting being grand marshals, and it’s an honor we never expected in a hundred years,” said Laverne.
    However, considering their lifetimes of hard work and selfless giving in agriculture and the greater community, those who know them can hardly be surprised that Clark and Laverne should be recognized as this year’s Phillips County Fair parade grand marshals.