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Archives for March 2023

Mulkey Game Night to be March 30

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The Mulkey Theatre will have fun for all ages next Thursday, March 30, during its first Family Game Night.

Starting at 6 p.m., multiple games of five different genres will be held for those in attendance. The well-known games like Pictionary, Charades, Minute to Win It, Watch Ya Mouth, and Friendly Feud (similar to Family Feud) are perfect for everyone, young or old. Gift certificates from local businesses will be given as prizes.

Family Game Night is the first of several Thursday Night Live events Mulkey managers are planning for this year.

Admission to the Game Night will be just $5 for all ages, and the concession stand will be serving Frito Pies and nachos in addition the regular menu.

The evening is sponsored by Mike’s Pharmacy, Shelton & Shelton Attorneys-at-Law, Herring Bank, and The Clarendon Enterprise.

Raffle to help fund Library books, repairs

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The Friends of the Library met for their monthly meeting, Wednesday, March 15, with discussion centered on the raffle for the Dallas Cowboy memorabilia collection.

The group voted to extend the raffle until July 1, the date of this year’s Herring Bank Parade and the Saints’ Roost Celebration. The previous deadline for buying raffle tickets was March 31. With lots of people attending the parade and festivities on July 1, the Friends hope for a better turnout.

Some of the current needs the library has are refinishing or protection coat of the wood on the building, which may cost more than the library’s budget allows, and new children’s books, which get rough handling.

The raffle sales will continue through July 1 with the drawing at the end of the day. Tickets may be purchased at the Burton Memorial Library, 217 S. Kearney St., Clarendon, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays. Ticket cost is $1 each or six tickets for $5.

The cabinet that is holding the Cowboys collection will also be raffled separately. When buying your raffle tickets, tell the staff which you are purchasing for.

Owen Merle Kramer

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Owen Merle Kramer, 91, of Skellytown, formerly of Clarendon died Thursday, March 16, 2023 in Pampa.

Merle Kramer

Services will be at 1:00 PM Monday, March 20, 2023 in the First Assembly of God Church in Clarendon with Rev. Matthew Stidham and Rev. Carter Pirtle, officiating. Burial will follow in Edith Ford Memorial Cemetery in Canadian, Texas.

Viewing will be held Sunday at the funeral home.

Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Merle was born July 15, 1931 in Skellytown to John Joseph and Stella Mae Owens Kramer. He married Beatrice Swann Farrington on April 14, 1984 in Pampa. Merle had been a longtime resident of Skellytown and Clarendon where he was a carpenter. Merle’s whole world was carpentry. He built many houses in the time he worked as a carpenter and helped build the First Assembly of God in Clarendon. Merle also worked as a welder for several years. Merle also enjoyed building bird houses and gardening. He was member of the First Assembly of God in Clarendon and attended the First Baptist Church in Skellytown.

He is preceded in death by his parents; a step son, Mark Farrington; a brother, John R. Kramer; and a grandson, John Brodick Strickland.

Survivors include his wife, Bette Kramer of Skellytown; his sons, Kevin Farrington and wife Sandra and Marvin Kramer and wife Sherry all of Skellytown; his daughters, Kathy Caruth and companion Glen Carpenter of St. Johns, Arizona, Rita Kramer of Skellytown and Cyndy Smith of Kileen; two sisters, Mary Jo Terry and husband Leon of Orange, Texas and Anna Davis and husband Marvin of Springfield, Missouri; 17 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

The family request memorials be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com

Jimmy Lynn Garland

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Jimmy Lynn Garland, 84, of Goodnight passed away on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Amarillo.

Jimmy Lynn Garland

Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 10:30 AM at First Baptist Church of Clarendon with Rev. Lance Wood officiating. Burial will follow in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.

Viewing will be held at the funeral home in Clarendon on Sunday, March 19th from 1:00 – 6:00 PM with family receiving friends from 4:00 – 6:00 PM.

Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Jimmy was born on August 14, 1938, in Goodnight to AJ and Alberta (Reed) Garland. He started working at the young age of 9 working cattle. He attended Goodnight High School and graduated from Clarendon High School. He was also a graduate of Clarendon JR College and Sul Ross University. He served in the National Guard. He was a farmer and rancher most of his life. He obtained his Realtor Broker license in 1970. He started to work at First National Bank of Memphis. He later worked at First National Bank of Amarillo as a cattle inspector. He started at First Bank & Trust of Clarendon in 1981. He opened Pilgrim’s Bank in 1998 until his retirement in 2000. He then did his Realty business full time. He actually closed his last deal in February 2023.

His hobbies were hunting, birddogs, shooting sports( trap, skeet, sporting clays). He enjoyed traveling to places to shoot and made life long friendships. He enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow up and his great grand child grow up.

Jimmy is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Audrey Beth Garland; and brother, Marion Dave Garland.

He is survived by his son, Stan Garland of Quanah; daughter, Twanna Kiker and husband, Richie, of Allison; grandson, Matt Kiker and wife, Kinsey, of Allison; granddaughter, Kaylynn Kerns and husband, Matt, of Kansas City, MO; great-grandson, Keegan Kiker; nephew, Allen Garland and wife, Neyra, of Dumas; niece, Kelly Strawn and husband, Duane, of Mansfield; as well as numerous great nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Clarendon Masonic Lodge #700, PO Box 932, Clarendon, TX, 79226.

Sign our online guest book at www.robertsonfuneral.com.

Lady Broncos opens District with win over Sunray

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The Lady Broncos were ready for their district play to begin after a solid pre-district season. They slammed Sunray March 7 11-1 before a hometown crowd. Sophomore Kennedie Cummins went the distance pitching all five innings and posting the lone homerun for the Lady Broncos in the first inning. Cummins only allowed three hits, had zero walks, and struck out seven hitters.

The ladies were consistent at the plate, but a big six-run fourth inning sealed the win. Hadyen Elam, Cummins, and Tandy Blacksher each nabbed an RBI to put points on the board. Elam had three RBIs, K. Cummins, Blacksher, and Tandie Cummins had two each.

The Lady Broncos were error free in the game and T. Cummins, K. Cummins, Elam, and Baylee Gabel grabbed several stolen bases.

The Lady Broncos took part in the Randall Tournament held March 9-10. They went up against Canyon, Tulia, River Road, and Randall JV.

The ladies defeated Canyon 7-1 on Thursday. A huge opening inning gave the Lady Broncos the edge they needed for the remainder of the game.

K. Cummins was on the mound for six innings and only allowed two hits and gave up only one run. Fifty-six of her 70 pitches were strikes as she dismissed 11 hitters from the plate.

Offensively, the Lady Broncos found their mojo at the plate and gathered nine hits as a team with Gabel leading the way with three hits. Gabel also stormed the bases and finished the game with three steals. Frausto and Elam had two each, and Wilkins and Mya Edwards had one each.

The Lady Broncos also played Tulia and held on for a six inning win at 7-5. This time it was T. Cummins on the mound for the duration with seven strikeouts. The ladies had a scoring frenzy in the fourth putting six points on the board. RBIs by Elam, Gabel, and T. Cummins gave Clarendon the power they needed to finish the big inning with six runs to Tulia’s five.

Wilkins led the way at the plate hitting two for three. Base running made a big difference as five runners posted stolen bases in the game.

The last matchup with River Road finished up the tournament for the Lady Broncos. The ladies topped off a great tournament with a 15-0 shut out over the Lady Cats in only three innings. T. Cummins took the helm and only allowed one hit, no walks, and three six strikeouts.

Everything went the Lady Broncos’ way as they were able to score runs at will. They posted four hits, six RBIs, and seven walks. Elam led the way with three at bats, two runs, one hit, and one RBI.

The Lady Broncos will travel to Gruver March 17 for another district game beginning at 1:00 p.m. and be on the road at Amarillo High on Saturday, March 18, also beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Broncos defeat Caprock JV by fourteen runs

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The Clarendon Broncos took their A game to Amarillo March 7 and defeated the Caprock Longhorn JV 15-1. The Broncos only posted eight hits in the game, but they were able to capitalize on big hits.

Levi Gates earned the win pitching two innings and allowed only one hit and no runs. Gates was able to strike out two hitters before Tyler Harper and Lyric Smith came in as relief.

Early in the game, Easton Frausto knocked a runner in with a single and the team was able to mark three runs in the first inning. They added runs in the second, third and fifth innings, while only allowing Caprock one run in the third.

Several players swung for the fence with Smith leading the way with two doubles and Jared Musick with one.

The Broncos were on their game around the bases as well and stole nine bases all together. Smith led the way with four.

Defensively, the Broncos were sharp and played solid in the field committing zero errors in the win.

On March 9, the Broncos traveled to Oklahoma to participate in the Hollis Tournament. They met up with Sayre in the first round and breezed to a 15-1 win in three innings.

With hot bats, they were able to post 12 hits in the game, tacked on 12 RBIs, and added four stolen bases.

Musick was on the mound for two innings and recorded only one hit, no errors, and two strike outs. Mason Sims came in and had two strike outs in his 14 pitches.

Several players had multiple hits and Ward, Howard, Sims, and Frausto nabbed stolen bases.

Next up for the Broncos was Shattuck and struggled at the plate in their 0-11 loss posting four errors in the game. Ward was able to slam a triple in the fourth inning but could not cross home plate for a run.

Ward was on the mound for four innings and gave up six hits and five runs. Gates pitched the final inning and gave up six runs on three hits.

The Broncos took on Granite in the final game and fell behind in the third inning after both teams went scoreless in the first. The Broncos scored another run in the fifth and one in the seventh but could not catch up. They ended the game at 3-6.

Howard and Frausto split the duties on the mound as Frausto came in after the third innings. Howard allowed three hits, four runs, and four errors, while Frausto allowed four hits, two runs with two errors.

The Broncos outhit Granite in the seven innings at bat but fell short bringing runners home with only one RBI by Caudle.

The Broncos left nine runners on base in the game.

The Broncos will host Claude on March 17 beginning at 1:00 p.m. On March 21, the Broncos will travel to Canute, Okla., before returning to take on Kress at home on March 24.

Sales tax revenue drops for Clarendon

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Clarendon and Hedley sales taxes dropped while Howardwick saw an increase when Texas Comptroller Glen Hegar delivered March allocations to local governments last week.

Clarendon’s revenue dropped 3.97 percent compared to this time last year with an allocation of $33,018.04. The city is still ahead 1.19 percent for the year-to-date collections at $123,270.08.

Hedley dropped 0.73 percent to $725.88 for the month but is running 24.58 percent ahead for the year at $3,381.55.

Howardwick posted a gain of 24.57 percent with an allocation of $1,890.87 and is now 18.95 percent ahead for the year-to-date at $5,901.81.

Statewide Hegar delivered $1 billion in local sales tax allocations for March, 9.9 percent more than in March 2022.

These allocations are based on sales made in January by businesses that report tax monthly.

Home Delivery

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Nathan and Jessica Jaramillo smile at home with their newborn baby, Asher, who was delivered February 25 as the first baby born in Donley County since 2010.

Asher Cruze Jaramillo will have a story to tell when he grows up after he came into this world in a most unusual way.

In the early morning hours of February 25, Asher was born in Clarendon… at home… in the bathtub.

“I should have known he would be a little firecracker and make a grand appearance,” his mother, Jessica Jaramillo, said. “I found out that I was expecting him on the 4th of July after all.”

The last recorded birth in Donley County was in 2010, and that event was believed to have been the first in about 20 years before that.

Most folks try to get to medical facilities in Amarillo or Childress to deliver their bundles of joy these days. And truthfully, Jessica also planned to deliver her third child in Amarillo. But things don’t always go according to plan.

“I woke up about 3:30 in the morning thinking I needed to go to the bathroom,” she recalled. “Then I felt one big contraction and thought the baby would come later that afternoon.”

Having had two other children, Jessica felt like she had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Her babies had always been early – 35 weeks each time before – but deliveries had not been quick.

Asher had already been different though. He tried to arrive much earlier, which gave the family a scare.

“My contractions had to be stopped, and I had to get steroid shots for his lungs and was guaranteed over and over that he would not make it past 33 weeks gestation,” Jessica recalled. “We asked for prayers on social media and received such an outpouring of love from the community and our church (the First Assembly of God).

“Each time I made it to another week, my doctor was in utter disbelief. She just couldn’t understand how it was possible. I can attest that it was because of God and all the prayers from the wonderful people in this town.”

God also was there to protect Jessica and Asher that early morning as she gradually realized after that first contraction that this baby wasn’t going to wait for long.

She and her husband Nathan tried to go to the car, but she decided instead to get in a bath to relieve some of her discomfort. Soon she told her husband to leave her alone in the bathroom and says her body just took over.

At 4:59, Asher entered the world, and his mother pulled him from the water, cooing and looking at her but not crying.

Associated Ambulance Authority arrived to help after the baby was born and took mother and child to BSA Hospital in Amarillo where they were released after a couple of days.

“It was the scariest time of my life, but it was also pretty neat,” Jessica said.
Asher was 20 inches long and weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces.

“I am so proud that my sweet boy will get to tell people that he was born here,” she said.

Grant to pay $350k for Howardwick paving

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A $350,000 award for street improvements in Howardwick is moving forward this week as city officials met Tuesday night to authorize the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission to administer the grant.
City Secretary Sandy Childress said the Community Development Block Grant is exciting for the people of Howardwick and comes after a lot of hard work for the last three years.

“It just a good, positive thing for the City of Howardwick and the people here,” she said.

The success of the city’s grant application hinged on Howardwick changing the how its level of low to moderate income household were reported. The 2010 US Census over-reported the income level of the community, so city officials surveyed residents personally and discovered that more than 70 percent of households were of low to moderate incomes.

“We always got beat in the past based on the points system,” Childress said of previous attempts to get grant funds.

CDBG grant funds are based on need, and part of how a city shows need is demonstrating that its residents are of low to moderate income. The City of Clarendon is currently trying to survey local households for the same reason – to improve the chances of getting more grant funds.

Starting in August 2020, Howardwick surveyed its households and found 70.56 percent were at low to moderate incomes. It also proved the 2010 Census has over-reported the city’s population.

With that new information in hand, the city began working on the grant application in April 2021 and finally received approval in February.

“It was like a feeling that we’ve done really good,” Childress said of the news the grant was approved. “Mayor Tony Clemishire was super proud for the city and its residents because his whole focus is on cleaning up, better water, and general improvements for the city.”

The grant funds will be used to totally rebuild the city’s main road, Rick Husband Blvd. from about Porter Drive all the way to City Hall. Rick Husband is maintained from about Porter to Highway 70 by Greenbelt Water Authority.

Childress said when the work begins it may inconvenience some people, but the city will try to set up alternative routes where possible.

The city will provide matching funds of $17,500 for the project, and Childress says they are working on future grant applications.

The city also has used about $50,000 in COVID-relief funds to purchase a dozer and a dump truck to help work on other roads.

Childress is also still working on a petition drive to reverse a water rate increase from Red River Water Authority. Childress said residents have until March 31 to sign the petition and she encourages residents to come to City Hall to sign.

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