Archives for May 2017

A decade of planning and praying paid off last Wednesday, May 3, when the Hedley Senior Citizens served lunch for the first time out of their new facility.

“We cried all day yesterday we were so excited,” longtime director Patsy Spier said as she stood waiting for people to line up to be served. “I’d come out, walk around the building, and go back into the office, and just cry. We’ve wanted this almost forever.”

The new facility on Hedley’s Main Street encompasses about 5,000 square feet, features a modern commercial kitchen, a large dining room, an office, and plenty of storage space. The $210,000 price tag was covered largely by numerous fundraisers and the help of a couple of grants, said Kathy Spier, who now serves as the group’s executive director.

Working out of a building that was more than 100 years old and showing its age, the Hedley Senior Citizens started exploring the possibility of a new facility about 12 years ago.

“I went to the USDA, the Bivins Foundation, and many different places to discuss it,” Kathy said. “We just couldn’t get anything going.”

Undaunted, the group set out to raise the money on their own through a series of raffles and fundraisers over several years – work that has now paid off to the benefit of the Hedley community as a whole.

“This is not just for us but for everybody,” Kathy said.

Hedley’s pride for the new facility is evident by the number of people who have supported the project as well as the volunteers who helped the group move into its new home.

“Several men helped move equipment,” Kathy said. “Jim Mitchell, Roger Hagar, Leon Ward, Gwan Wilkinson, and Jimmy Taylor did that. Jean Taylor, Tonya Metcalf, Gwynne Howard, and Lon Adams and his students helped clean the building and move the office.”

In addition, the Hedley classes of 1965 and 1964 donated money to the project, and the Zephyr Foundation also provided some assistance, Spier said.

Gwynne Howard credits the mother-daughter duo of Patsy and Kathy Spier for making the building happen.

“Those two ladies are the reason we have it,” Howard said. “If someone takes the lead, other people will help. But first someone has to put it on their shoulders and take it on.”

Jimmy Taylor, who is a regular at the Hedley Senior Citizens and whose wife, Jean, ran the organization for several years, is proud of the new facility.

“It’s real nice, first class,” Taylor said. “They put a lot of work into this. It’s been a long time since we had a new building downtown.”

Taylor also said the senior citizens provides a good service to the community and the food is always good.

“I’ve been eating here a long time,” he said. “If you leave here hungry, it’s your own fault.”

The Hedley Senior Citizens Club, as it was originally known, was founded in 1974 by J.S. and Verda Hinds. Mr. Hinds was a former school superintendent. The group moved into its first building in October of 1978. That building will now be used for storage until its final fate is determined.

The Hedley Senior Citizens serves lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Meals are $6 for those under the age of 60 and cost nothing for those age 60 and over, although a $6 donation is appreciated.

An average of 50 people a day are served on site, and home delivered meals average 15 per day.

“We don’t just serve seniors,” Kathy said. “We have a lot of cowboys a­nd farmers that come in as well as people from Clarendon and Memphis and even Amarillo. Anyone can eat with us.”

A formal opening and dedication for the new building will be held this summer.

“We want to get used to the building first,” Kathy said. “It is just so nice and we are so thankful to have it.”

Hedley High School has announced that Kenlee Lambert and Bailey Downing are the top students for the Class of 2017.

Lambert is the Valedictorian, and Downing is the Salutatorian. Both will be recognized during graduation ceremonies at the Hedley Gymnasium on

Saturday, May 20, at 10 a.m.

With an average grade of 96.571, Lambert is the daughter of Ronnie and Cindy Lambert and the sister to Jayden, Emma, and Cara Lambert.  She has attended Hedley High School for three years.

Throughout high school she has been very involved in basketball, cross country, track, tennis, golf, and cheerleading.  She has received All District and Academic Honors and the Fighting Heart Award in basketball.

Lambert was voted MVP in track.  She has also advanced to Regionals in golf, track, and cross country.  She competed in Academic UIL and has been a member of FFA, One Act Play, and National Honor Society.  She is president of her class and of the Hedley NHS chapter. She was award Young

Woman of the Year by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.  She plans to attend Clarendon College in the fall and pursue a career in Sonography.

Downing has an average grade of 94.829 and is the daughter of Tracie and the late Richard Downing.  Bailey has attended Hedley ISD for three years.  Throughout these three years, she has been involved in many extracurricular activities such as cross country, basketball, track, golf, tennis, One Act Play, FFA horse judging, Rodeo, Team Sorting, and has also been a member of the National Honor Society.

Downing received Academic and All-District Honors in basketball and cross country, and also advanced to Regionals in golf, track, tennis, and cross country.  She will be attending Clarendon College in the fall of 2017 to begin her path of pursuing a career as a veterinarian.

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association held its second annual Saints’ Roost Rough Stock Challenge last Saturday, May 6, with bronc riding and bull riding entertainment.

COEA estimates about 200 people attended the event with 24 participants.

Chase Pope and Tanner Hart tied-split first and second places in the bronc riding. Mike Crump placed third.

Tucker Parker was first in the bull riding and was the only rider out of ten bull rides to stay on for a full eight seconds.

The team of Luke White and Jason Howard placed first in the washer tournament that preceded the rodeo. Steve Nail and Bob Evenson were second.

Entertainment following the rodeo was provided by the Buster Bledsoe Band.

An observant neighbor led to the quick arrest of two local men who broke into a local liquor store Sunday morning.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said Adam Harl Vorheis and Bradley Scott Jones are both facing charges of Burglary of a Building for the crime.

The sheriff said a resident living near the Broken Road Jr. Liquor Store observed two men in a gold colored Chevy Suburban loading items from the store at about 3 a.m. The citizen quickly called 911 and gave the dispatcher a good description of the men, the vehicle, and also let authorities know that the suspects left westbound on US 287.

Deputy Ryan Hill intercepted a vehicle matching the description on SH 70 on its way to Greenbelt Lake. He pulled the car over and could see beer boxes in the back seat. Several bottles of liquor were also found in the vehicle.

Vorheis, age 20, and Jones, age 27, were wearing clothes that also matched the description given by the caller. Both men were arrested at that time and were later arraigned by Justice of the Peace Denise Bertrand with bond set at $10,000.  Vorheis posted bond Monday afternoon, and Jones was still in custody at that time.

Blackburn expressed his appreciation to the attentive citizen in this case.

“The neighbor did just exactly what they should have,” Blackburn said. “That fast action and good description helped solve this case very quickly, and I thank them for that.”