Archives for October 2008

The public is invited and encouraged to attend the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Service on Friday, October 3, at 9:00 a.m. at Howardwick City Hall. Mark your calendar and join us in honor of the 118 brave men and women who gave their lives protecting us since 2007.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Fire Administration announce that the 27th annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend will be held October 4-5. A plaque with the names of 101 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2007 will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, located here on the National Fire Academy campus. The names of 9 firefighters who died in previous years will also be added. The plaques surrounding the Memorial, which was established in 1981, will contain the names of more than 3,200 firefighters.

Thirty-four states experienced line-of-duty deaths in 2007. Deaths resulted from many causes, including vehicle accidents while en route to or returning from emergency calls, training incidents, building collapses, being struck by objects (vehicles, trees) at the incident scene, falls, heart attacks, helicopters crashes and burns. Six multiple fatality incidents accounted for 19 deaths. Four multiple fatality incidents occurred at structural fires, one during an explosion at a HAZMAT incident, and another in an apparatus crash en route to an emergency call. Wildland fires, controlled burns, and training/certification for wildlife protection resulted in 5 fatalities. South Carolina suffered the Nation’s greatest number of line-of-duty firefighter deaths in 2007 with 10, while Pennsylvania had 8, North Carolina had 8 as well, and New York had 7.

Chief Dennis Compton, Chairman of the NFFF Board of Directors, stated: “Each year, members of the fire service, survivors of our fallen heroes, and other guests join together in Emmitsburg, Maryland, during the Memorial Weekend to honor those firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. They travel from all over the United States to take part in this important weekend of events. It’s a time of dignity, respect, and reflection for our service, and an opportunity to extend our collective love and support to the survivors. Family members, as well as fellow firefighters, learn of the services the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has available for them and how they can stay connected to the Foundation for assistance in the future.”

The teen curfew that has been in action since June is going “so far, just great,” according to Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn.

No citations have been issued since the curfew has been in effect, but several warnings have been given. Many problems that existed before the curfew have been cut down, and enforcing teens to follow the curfew hasn’t caused any trouble.

“We’ve gotten some negative comments concerning the curfew, but I’d say about 90 percent of the comments that we get are positive,” said Blackburn when asked about the city’s reaction to the curfew.

Clarendon High School Student Council President Audrey Jones said she believes the curfew has been good.

“I think the curfew keeps some kids from getting into trouble,” Jones said.

Not everyone agrees with this curfew though. Many teens disagree with it, such as CHS sophomore Bradley Watson.

“I don’t really like it because we have to be in at a certain time. We’re being punished for the mistakes that other kids have made,” Watson said. “I think the cops should patrol and do their job instead of everybody having to be in at a certain time. Our parents should decide what time we need to be in.”

If a citation is issued, depending on the age of the minor the consequence will be as follows; ages 14 or above the teen will have to see the city judge and pay a fine; if under the age of 14, the parents of the offender will suffer the consequences of a fine.

The C4B Chuckwagon Team of Amarillo took home top honors Saturday at the 14th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff.

Led by head cook Randy Whipple, the C4B had the first place Wagon & Camp and placed second in Overall Cooking while racking up enough points to win the Best Overall award.

Cookoff Chairman Lindy Craft said early indications are that this year’s event was one of the best for the Museum.

“I personally thought it was the best in the three years since I’ve been on the board,” Craft said. “Everything really went smooth.”

A new Junior Cookoff the day before the big event was also a nice addition, Craft said.

“The Junior Cookoff was relaxed and fun, and the kids had a great time,” Craft said.

Nine young contestants were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. Cire Jauregue won first place with the C4B Chuckwagon Team. Chris Shults and the Barb Land & Cattle Co. were second, and Harley Jauregue and the McFall Wagon came in third.

Following the Junior Cookoff, an estimated 170 people enjoyed a delicious steak dinner Friday night on the museum grounds. The invitation-only event was held exclusively for Chuckwagon teams and members of the Museum and their families.

Of the 550 tickets that were available for Saturday’s main cookoff only ten remained when the event was over. Past competitions have run out of tickets, but Museum officials are not unhappy with ticket sales this year.

“In the past we gave away a lot of tickets with sponsorships,” said Cookoff Sponsorship Chairman Roger Estlack. “Last year as many as 130 tickets were made available to sponsors, but this year only eight tickets went to sponsors. That means higher ticket sales for the Museum even though we had ten tickets unsold. The result is a more successful fundraiser for the Museum.”

Concessions were provided by Boy Scout Troop 433. A trade show was held throughout the day, and live entertainment was provided. Museum tours were led by the Clarendon High School Junior Historians. Relatives of legendary cattleman and Chuckwagon inventor Charles Goodnight also were on hand for their annual reunion.

Eleven wagons served a menu of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, beans, and cobbler. Prizes totaling $3,250 were paid out to the winners.

Complete results were:

Overall Wagon & Cooking: 1) C4B Chuckwagon of Amarillo.

Overall Cooking: 1) JL Cattle Co. of Abilene, 2) C4B, 3) Gayland Ward Wagon of Dawn, and 4) Honey-Do-Spoiler Wagon of Pampa.

Best Wagon Camp: 1) C4B, 2) Cross Roads Chuckwagon of Midland, 3) CO Ranch of Quanah, and 4) JL Cattle.

Best Meat: 1) Bar H Dude Ranch of Clarendon, 2) CO Ranch, 3) T Half Circle Wagon of Silverton, and 4) JL Cattle.

Best Beans: 1) Gayland Ward, 2) T Half Circle, 3) Honey-Do-Spoiler, and 4) JL Cattle.

Best Dessert: 1) McFall Wagon of Pampa, 2) Honey-Do-Spoiler, 3) JL Cattle, and 4) C4B.

Best Bread: 1) JL Cattle, 2) Honey-Do-Spoiler, 3) CO Ranch, and 4) C4B.

Best Potatoes: 1) C4B, 2) JL Cattle, 3) Gayland Ward, and 4) Cocklebur Camp of Odessa.

Wagon Judges this year were selected by the teams from among themselves, and Food Judges were under the direction of Tashia Duncan.