Archives for November 2011

A motion picture with a message will raise money to help save Clarendon’s Mulkey Theatre this weekend with a special presentation of “Courageous” at the Sandell Drive-In.

Drive-in owner John Morrow plans to show the movie Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 2-4, and says he will donate the proceeds to the “Bring Back the Mulkey” campaign.

“I want people to see this film,” Morrow said. “This is God’s message that people need to hear.”

The movie is about four men with one calling: To serve and protect.

As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners are confident and focused. They willingly stand up to the worst the streets have to offer. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they’re quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.

They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. Will they be able to find a way to serve and protect those that are most dear to them?

When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God … and to their children?

“Courageous” is the fourth release of Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Church in Albany, Georgia. Their first release since “Fireproof,” the No. 1 independent film of 2008, “Courageous” joins “Facing the Giants” and “Flywheel” in touching and impacting lives through heartfelt stories of faith and hope.

Moviegoers will again find themselves crying, laughing, and cheering – sometimes simultaneously – as they are inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Protecting the streets is second nature to these law enforcement officers. Raising their children? That will take courage.

Admission to the Sandell Drive-In is $6 each. The show will start at 6:30 p.m., and the gates will open one hour before show time.

Since last year, more than $17,000 has been raised or pledged to help Bring Back the Mulkey. The donations helped restore neon on the marquee this summer, which has been lit up on special occasions, and will help with further goals to restore the façade of the theatre. Since 2008, the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation has spent $50,000 for a new roof for the theatre, and is currently contacting architects to pursue developing a master plan for the theatre.

Donations are still being accepted to help Bring Back the Mulkey. Donors who give $50 or more will be recognized inside the theatre, and donations can be made to Donley County Historical Commission, PO Box 905, Clarendon, TX 79226 and note “Mulkey” in the memo of your check. Clarendon’s merchants are also supporting the effort by selling paper light bulbs which can be purchased for $1 and are displayed in stores downtown.

For more information, visit www.ClarendonEDC.org or www.facebook.com/mulkeytheatre.

Clarendon Merchants are calling last week’s Black Friday promotion a success with several local businesses reporting heavy traffic in their stores.

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally a busy day for national retailers, but this year local businesses worked hard to attract attention to their services. They also sought to capitalize on Small Business Saturday, a national effort led by American Express to get people to support small businesses across the country.

Terri Floyd at Every Nook & Cranny told the Enterprise that she had her best day Friday since she has been in business.

“Friday was awesome for us,” Floyd said. “It was a record day, and we had quite a few people here from out of town.”

Floyd said one lady from Howardwick did all of her Christmas shopping in Every Nook & Cranny.

She also said that television time purchased by the Clarendon Merchants Association had paid off. A woman who had seen the merchants’ commercial stopped in the Nook on Wednesday and said she never realized how many shops Clarendon had available even though she comes through town frequently as a driver for FedEx.

As a Radio Shack dealer, Bill Stavenhagen at Stavenhagen Video said he benefited from national advertising in addition to local ads that his store ran and regional ads placed by the Clarendon Merchants Association.

“Sales were up by a third from Black Friday last year,” Stavenhagen said. “I think having the whole town participating helped me. I had people come in at 6:15 Friday morning.”

Stavenhagen said he sold a TomTom navigation system to a man just passing through town about 7 a.m. based on national Radio Shack ads, and he also got business from Facebook after a Clarendon woman, April Yankie, posted on her page that he had a great sale going on.

“I had two people come in my store from that,” he said.

Cornell’s Country Store also had a good day Friday and said they ran 25 percent more tickets than they did the year before.

“We were really, really busy,” Deanna Cornell said. “Lay away was way up this year, and we had a lot of phone calls coming in also.”

Cornells said they had several sales come in from traffic on the highway, and they had a lot of business from hunters on Saturday.

Most merchants said Small Business Saturday was not as good as Friday, but they were still busy. Everyone appreciates the support that they received from shoppers over the two-day period.

Local shoppers also benefitted from finding good deals all over town.

All the merchants interviewed by the Enterprise said they intend to continue the Black Friday and Small Business Saturday promotion next year.

Clarendon merchants continue to be interested in your business and will continue to have sales and promotions through the holiday season. Watch the pages of the Enterprise for ongoing specials.

Shopping small can have a big impact this weekend as Clarendon merchants mark down prices and roll out the savings for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

While the big city may lure some people to forego their sleep and start shopping way before the crack of dawn on Friday, local stores are encouraging people to shop at home and enjoy the benefits of wide selections, no traffic, no hassles, and no crowds.

“Black Friday” – the day after Thanksgiving – is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year in the US and gets its name because so many businesses see it as the chance to get their books “in the black.” But many Clarendon stores are viewing it as a great day to provide customers with their usual outstanding customer service as well as great savings.

Sales and promotions will continue on Saturday as part of the second annual “Small Business Saturday,” which is being promoted nationwide by American Express as a day to support the driving force of our local economies.

“Small business is the engine of job creation in the US economy,” said Mr. Chenault, chairman and chief executive officer, American Express.  “It is also among the sectors hardest hit by the recession.  By spreading the word about Small Business Saturday, we can help raise awareness about the critical role small businesses play in cities and towns across the country at a time when they need support the most.”

According to small business advocates, every $100 spent in locally-owned stores returns $68 to the local community through taxes, payrolls, and other expenditures. That same money spent in another town returns nothing to your local community.

This year, several Clarendon merchants have teamed together for a marketing campaign to attract people from around the area to skip the hectic atmosphere in the city and shop here in Clarendon.  Television ads on KAMR Channel 4 in Amarillo began airing this week and are enticing buyers to “Don’t let Black Friday be a shopping nightmare, come to Clarendon and take it easy.”

Another effort to tout the benefits of shopping at home can be found in the special section appearing in last week’s and this week’s issue of The Enterprise.  There you’ll find deals, tips, and tricks for shopping at home this holiday season. The deals in the section are all good for Friday and Saturday, November 25-26, and the section also includes the first ever Enterprise coloring contest for the kiddoes with the chance to win $50 cash.

Shop at your favorite local stores right here in Clarendon this Black Friday and Small Business Saturday and help fuel the economy. When we all shop small businesses, the results can be huge.  Support the merchants who support our community by shopping at home this holiday season.