Downtown Clarendon is on the verge of getting new life with one major project now on the horizon of being finished and another slated for completion in 2020.
The Mulkey Theatre, a landmark since its construction in 1946, has been closed for more than 30 years. But now, after a decade of work, it is just months away from being re-opened, more glorious and versatile than ever before.
The theatre has been a labor of love on the part of so many people. Its opening will bring new life to downtown and give Clarendon one more asset to set it apart from other small communities.
If you look back on photos from ten years ago, the Mulkey looks pretty sad. The work since that time has already made the theatre a star attraction for the community with glowing neon and dancing LED flood lights. It will be remarkable to see that new energy reflected on the inside as well.
Ideas are already starting to bubble up about things that could be held at the Mulkey… film festivals, special Christmas presentations, annual meetings, class parties and reunions, company events, and more. The future is bright for the Mulkey, and those guiding the project are trying to think of every possible way the theatre could be used.
Even with the work that has been authorized this week, there are still a few more improvements that could be made in the future to expand the theatre’s functionality.
When the Mulkey re-opens, it will be better than it ever was before and it will serve our community for generations to come.
At the other end of Kearney Street, city officials continue to edge closer to making the Water Recreation Facility a reality. While there was hope that it would also open in 2019, delays with a Texas Parks & Wildlife Department grant have pushed that opening to 2020. And that’s fine… when someone is giving you half a million dollars for your project, it pays to have patience as you work through their processes. It also gives the city and its steering committee even more time to make sure the finished product is the absolute best it can be.
Imagine our downtown with two vibrant points of activity on each end of downtown. All we need is more businesses between the two points and that can and will happen with time and the proper incentives.
This is indeed an exciting time to be living in Clarendon. The future will keep looking bright if we will all continue to work together to make these and other dreams come true.
Meanwhile…
Speaking of the future, another group is working to provide benefits and assistance to non-profit groups in Donley County both now and for years to come, and this month you can really help make an impact for that goal.
The Donley County Community Fund is a local board, working through the Amarillo Area Foundation, the purpose of which is to raise an endowment to benefit our entire county.
How would an endowment fund benefit Donley County? In 1991, Charlie Bairfield left $156,503.03 in his estate to create a foundation bearing his name and his wife Thelma’s name. Over the next quarter of a century, interest from that money helped fund a wide range of projects and organizations with grants ranging from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. When trustees closed out the foundation in late 2016, all its charitable gifts totaled $282,456.87. What an amazing legacy that Charlie and Thelma left to this community!
The DCCF could follow in the Bairfield Foundation’s footsteps if it is supported. In the last two years, the DCCF has awarded grants totaling $3,000 to the Saints Roost Museum, the Hedley Lioness Club, the Bronco Band, and the Bread of Life Pantry while at the same time building an endowment of more than $17,000.
Now the Amarillo Area Foundation has announced it will match donations to the DCCF for nine days from November 19 through November 27 as part of the nationwide effort known as GivingTuesday. The movement is held annually in all 50 states on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday giving season.
You get what you give when you live in a community. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. The Donley County Community Fund allows everyone to put something towards the future of our county. Big contributions are welcome, but every $20 contribution counts also, and this month they can count even more thanks to the Amarillo Area Foundation’s matching offer.
So that the local DCCF can benefit from the match, anyone wishing to participate will need to give their donation by Monday, November 26, so the final deposit can be made on GivingTuesday.
Contributions can be mailed to Donley County Community Fund, c/o Jacob Fangman, Box 906, Clarendon, TX 79226. Checks should be made out to The Panhandle Gives, with Donley CCF written on the memo line.
Other DCCF board members are Shauna Herbert, Sherol Johnston, Diane Skelton, and Roger Estlack.
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