Archives for September 2011

The C Bar C Ranch Chuckwagon Team of Hartley took home top honors Saturday at the 17th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff, which attracted international attention.

Led by head cook Sue Cunningham, the team had the first place dessert as well as first place in Overall Cooking on the way to racking up enough points to win the Best Overall award.

A German television crew was on hand at this year’s cookoff, filming and conducting interviews for a special on Route 66. Producer Peter Adler said country musician Ed Montana told them about Clarendon’s cookoff, and the three-man crew visited Palo Duro Canyon and Amarillo’s Big Texan before spending the night at the High Card Ranch southwest of Clarendon.

“This has been a great experience, and we’ve had great support from Charlie Smith at the Chamber of Commerce and everyone in Clarendon,” Adler said.

Even though Clarendon wasn’t on Route 66, Adler said it was close enough for them to include in the documentary.”

“It is a legendary road, a myth even in Europe,” Adler said. “Everywhere you go, people know Route 66.”

“Along the Mother Road” will air sometime next year in all German- and French-speaking countries in Europe.

Officials with the Saints’ Roost Museum, which sponsors the event, were pleased with this year’s cookoff and said they served about 550 meals Saturday, which about 100 more than last year

The fourth annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew several contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. Emily Johnson from Clarendon won first place and was teamed with the C4B Cooking Team. Jon David Seal of Childress was second with the CO Ranch Cooking Team, and Cire Jauregui of Clarendon was third with the Honey Do Spoiler Team.

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.

The 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 Chuckwagon inventor Charles Goodnight also were present for their annual reunion.

Fifteen 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) C Bar C Ranch of Hartley.

Overall Cooking: 1) C Bar C, 2) HX Ranch of Lubbock, 3) Wagon Rangers of Amarilo, and 4) the C4B Chuckwagon of Amarillo.

Best Wagon & Camp: 1) C4B, 2) Wagon Rangers, 3) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo, and 4) Quarter Circle KC of Lockney.

Best Meat: 1) McFall Wagon, 2) HX Ranch, 3) J Bar D, and 4) T Half Circle Wagon of Silverton.

Best Beans: 1) Cross Wagon, 2) Quarter Circle KC, 3) J Bar D, and 4) T Half Circle.

Best Potatoes: 1) Wagon Rangers, 2) CO Ranch, 3) HX Ranch, and 4) C Bar C.

Best Bread: 1) Wagon Rangers, 2) C4B, 3) Rising W, and 4) C Bar C.

Best Dessert: 1) C Bar C, 2) C4B, 3) Rising W, and 4) HX Ranch.

Wayne Heppard of Canyon was the winner of the Kevin Johnson handmade spurs, and Krista Smith of Silverton won the James Owens Handmade Boots.

Hedley’s only convenience store is closing at the end of this month, but the owner says she plans to be back in business soon.

Tonja Ruthardt told the Enterprise Tuesday that either Saturday or Sunday will be the last day for Uncle Bob’s as she prepares to move into a café one door west.

“I’m just moving to a new location, we’ll still have a store,” Ruthhardt said. “I’m taking most of my stuff with me.”

When Uncle Bob’s re-opens it will be a combination café and convenience store, although the menu and hours have not been set yet.

“I don’t know what all we’ll have, but we’ll definitely have chicken fried steak. Everyone tells me we have to have that,” Ruthardt said. “And I will be closed a couple of days a week, but even that might change.”

Ruthardt said the electric bill at her store had gotten out of hand, and she expects to trim that cost significantly at the new location. She said she has to close the store temporarily in order to have time to fix up her new location.

A proposal to raise sanitation rates in Clarendon has been shelved after receiving a cold reception from members of the Board of Aldermen last Tuesday.

City Administrator Lambert Little says the $1.83 million budget he will present for the board’s approval next Tuesday night, September 27, will not include any increases in taxes, utility rates, or service charges.

“I think we will have a budget that provides at least as good and probably better service to the citizens than we have had under the current budget,” Little said.

The new budget does include money for a new code compliance officer position that will also serve as an animal control officer. Little said he hopes that new position pays for itself but even if it doesn’t, the city will benefit from being cleaned up and the tax rolls will be bolstered from improved properties.

All city employees under the new budget will receive a three percent raise, except for Little and City Secretary Machiel Covey, who have opted out of the raise.

Also in the new budget is $10,000 for an improvement project to City Hall. Lambert said he hopes to install a ramp to the second floor and convert an existing training room used by the fire department into new chambers for city council meetings. The remodeled room would include theatre style seats and a raised platform for council seating. Lambert said the room could still be used by the fire department for training and that it would accommodate citizens better during city meetings.

“At the very least people should be able to hear what’s going on,” Little said.

Dropping the proposed sanitation rate increase means the city will likely not make about $30,000 in planned equipment purchases next year, Little said.

The administrator had initially put forth a 30 percent increase in commercial and residential garbage rates.

“I know downtown merchants will holler because they are already paying about $75 a month (on their city bill),” Little said at September 13 meeting, but he felt the city could defend itself because it wasn’t going up on taxes.

Alderman Tommy Hill was the first to raise concerns about the rate increase, saying the city’s rate was higher than some area towns, while Little said an increase would be in line with other towns.

“Our citizens are struggling just like the city is,” Hill said.

Alderman Ann Huey moved to approve the rates, but the motion died for lack of a second.

Alderman Will Thompson said he did not want to hurt local businesses, and Alderman Jesus Hernandez said citizens had already contacted him about their city bills.

“I’ve had citizens complain that they are not comfortable as it is. The rates are too high now,” Hernandez said.

Mayor Larry Hicks suggested not raising commercial rates, but Little said that would only generate about a third of the revenue he was looking for.

Little also said sanitation costs could be brought down if citizens would recycle more. Hill responded that the city needed to make it easier to recycle and also suggested the city’s recycling center be open earlier.

Also at last week’s city meeting, the board:

• Approved replacing water dispensers at the city with water fountain/coolers.

• Approved leaving the 1908 Seventh Street Bridge at City Park and voted in favor of having a new bridge, constructed by TxDOT, placed alongside the existing structure.

• Tabled the issue of what to do with the old Rosenfield Street bridge, which is also scheduled for replacement by TxDOT.

• Appointed Fu Benavidez to succeed Kelly Hill as the city fire marshal.

The Old West will come alive this weekend when the 17^th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff will be held this weekend on the grounds of the Saints’ Roost Museum.

Fifteen wagons are scheduled to compete for top prizes, and other activities include raffles, a hay auction, and tours of the Museum.

Activities will begin Friday afternoon with the junior cookoff, which pairs kids, ages 8-17, with mentors on participating wagon teams to learn the ropes of cooking over an open fire.

Junior cooks will be preparing a dish for Friday’s Chuckwagon cooks’ dinner. The recipe will be left to the discretion of the cooks and their mentors, and prizes will be given to the first, second, and third place winners that night.

The big day for the cookoff will be Saturday when the ten wagons square off to battle for top prizes.

The tradeshow starts at 10 a.m., and museum tours by the CHS Junior Historians will be available throughout the day. The new miniature train display will be available for viewing from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. in the Depot.

Local and area entertainers will also be performing, and relatives of Col. Charles Goodnight will also gather at the former Adair Hospital for their annual reunion.

At 12:30 p.m.,120 bales of alfalfa hay donated by Dan Sawyer Hay Service will be auctioned on the Museum grounds.

The authentic wagons will serve at 1 p.m. with the traditional chicken fried steak dinner, and other activities include raffles for a pair of Kevin Johnson Handmade Spurs and a pair of James Owens Handmade Boots and a hay auction.

Admission is free. Tickets for the authentic Chuckwagon meal are $15 each and can be purchased in advance at Every Nook & Cranny or Donley County State Bank or by calling (806)874-3581.