Texas humorist to headline Chamber awards banquet

Texas humorist Tumbleweed Smith will be the headline entertainment when the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, February 11, at the Bairfield Activity Center.

The awards to be given that night will be the Saints’ Roost Award for a lifetime of service to the community and the Man and Woman of the Year for the man and woman who have made significant contributions to the community during 2015.

Smith is producer of The Sound of Texas, a radio series that began in Big Spring and became the most widely syndicated feature radio show in Texas. In doing his daily program for more than 45 years, Smith has gathered the largest private collection of oral history in the United States. Texas Highways Magazine says he has probably recorded the voices of more Texas characters than anyone else.

Tumbleweed taught broadcasting and speech in the University of Texas system 34 years. He is a syndicated newspaper columnist. His one-man shows have been performed all over Texas and in six other states and four foreign countries. His honors include two CLIO advertising awards, two Telly statuettes, the governor’s award for tourism, the West Texas Chamber of Commerce Cultural Achievement Award, The (2012) DAR Texas Media Award, and two Freedoms Foundation Awards.

He is a past district governor of Rotary International and an Admiral in the Texas Navy. He has a star on the Texas Trail of Fame in Fort Worth. Smith lives in Big Spring with his wife Susan. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and four grandsons.

This year’s Chamber event with a Mardi Gras theme will begin at 6 p.m. with a hospitality and hors d’oeuvres along with a silent auction followed by the banquet, entertainment, and awards at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20 per person and must be purchased in advance at the Visitor Center located inside Mulkey Theatre. Businesses are also invited to purchase blocks of tickets by sponsoring tables at the event. Table sponsors will get to decorate their tables to reflect their business and the theme of the banquet with a prize given for the best table decoration.

For more information, contact Chamber Manager Bonnie Campbell at the Clarendon Visitor Center at 874-2421 or Chamber President Roger Estlack at 874-2259.