The Clarendon Enterprise - Spreading the word since 1878.
Donley County Christmas cards featuring last week’s photo of the horse-drawn carriage in front of the Courthouse are now available at the Enterprise and at the Clarendon Visitor Center. The 5×7 cards are available with envelopes in packs of ten for $10.
By Sandy Anderberg
The Lady Broncos added another win to their record with a huge 83-24 win over Texline before Thanksgiving.
A big-scoring first quarter and even bigger second quarter allowed the Lady Broncos to set the tempo of the game and a hustle defense was key in getting stops and frustrating their opponent.
Kate Shaw stepped up her game and put in 11 points in the second eight minutes. Shaw finished with 17 points, five of which came from the bonus line. Shaw, along with Graci Smith, Presley Smith, and Hayden Elam were perfect at the free throw line making 14 of 14 shots in the game and Tandie Cummins hit five out of six. The ladies were able to shoot 88 percent making 21 of 24 bonus shots.
Defensively, the ladies had their way with the Lady Tors as they stopped nearly everything Texline tried to do. They were able to accumulate several points from the defensive end of the court.
Joining Shaw who led with 17 was P. Smith and Kennadie Cummins with 11, and G. Smith with 10. Kenidee Hayes had nine, Tandie Cummings put in seven, and Elam had six. Courtlyn Conkin had five, Kashlyn Conkin put in four, and Berkley Moore added a three-pointer. Overall, the ladies posted four shots from the arc.
The Lady Broncos will participate in the Miami Tournament to be held November 30-December 2 and travel to Vega December 5.
By Sandy Anderberg
The Clarendon Broncos took down Gruver 34-32 last week and earned the right to the State Quarter-final game against Sunray on Friday, December 1, 2023, at Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon at 7:00 p.m.
The Broncos gained the upper hand early in last week’s game, but the Greyhounds fought back to make it a close game.
The Broncos finished the game with 150 yards passing and 268 yards on the ground for 418 total yards. Quarterback Lyric Smith was 11/16 passing for 128 yards with two touchdowns. Smith posted two TDs rushing and grabbed a pass from Easton Frausto for a touchdown as well.
Frausto also had a good offensive game and was 4/20 receiving with one score for 46 total yards and threw the strike to Smith for six. Shane Hagood had seven carries for 18 yards to help the Broncos. Quay Brown had a 36-yard touchdown from Smith and Mason Sims had two catches for 25 yards.
With their early start, the Broncos were able to make a statement to the Greyhounds even though Gruver was able to get back into the ball game by half time and only trail by three points. Both teams scored twice each in the second half of play with Gruver converting an extra point to close the gap by one. A last-ditch attempt by the Greyhounds with three minutes to go ended in a fumble that was recovered by the Broncos to cap the win by two points.
“You gotta have some things go your way, and I think our preparation shows.” Head coach Aaron Wampler said. “Just the heart, the fight, and the grit of these guys, can’t say enough about their effort.”
Defensively, the Broncos were strong and quick to get to the Gruver quarterback. Jared Musick led the way with 13 tackles, one QB sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery, and Dalton Coles posted 12 tackles and a forced fumble and recovery as well.
Grant Haynes was busy with nine tackles, and Ranger Drenth and Jaxan McAnear helped with six tackles each. Waite Dushay grabbed a Gruver fumble and had two tackles on the night and Brown and Anthony Ceniceros had one tackle each.
Follow live updates from this Friday’s game at Facebook.com/TheEnterprise.
Filing is open for Donley County candidates interested in running in party primaries ahead of next year’s general election.
Local positions up for election next year are those currently held by District Judge Dale Rabe, District Attorney Luke Inman, County Attorney Landon Lambert, County Tax Assessor/Collector Kristy Christopher, County Sheriff Butch Blackburn, Precinct 3&4 Constable Randy Bond, Precinct 1 Commissioner Mark White, and Precinct 3 Commissioner Neil Koetting.
As of Monday, White and Blackburn had both signed up for re-election on the Republican ticket.
Republicans and Democrats wishing to run for these positions have until December 11 to file with the Donley County Clerk’s Office located inside the Courthouse Annex.
Party precinct chair positions are also open, and more information about that can be obtained by contacting Republican Chair Bill Word or Democratic Chair Jean Taylor.
One lucky shopper will win $100 in Christmas Cash this Friday when the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce holds the first drawing as part of its 2023 “Shop Small Big Christmas” promotion.
Sign-ups at participating merchants began last Friday and will continue through December 21. The Chamber will give away a total of $550 this season with $100 drawings on December 1, 8, and 15; and a big $250 giveaway on December 22.
As of Tuesday, participating merchants included Amanda’s Country Soaps, Brake Time, Broken Road Liquor, Cornell’s Country Store, Country Bloomer’s Flowers & Gifts, Courtney D’Costa – Scentsy Consultant, Every Nook & Cranny, Henson’s, J&W Lumber, Lashes by Holly, Lowe’s Family Center, Mulkey Theatre, Mike’s Pharmacy, Monroe’s Peach Ranch, Rambling Ranch Boutique, REFZ Sports Bar & Grill, Saye’s Flying A Tack, Whistle-Stop, and Wicked Fast Attire.
Additional Chamber members who wish to participate can call Chamber President Ashlee Estlack at 806-662-4687.
To enter, shoppers will fill out an entry at local participating merchants. The Chamber will gather them up each Friday morning, and hold the drawings live on the Chamber’s Facebook. Enter as many times as you shop locally, so shop often. Entries stay in the hopper each week.
Several businesses are also planning to be open for Late Night Shopping on December 14 and 21 this year. Most of the participating businesses will be open until at least 7:30 p.m., including Every Nook & Cranny, Flotain’ T, Henson’s, Rambling Ranch, Saye’s Flying A Tack, and Whistle Stop. Corrective Aesthetics will also be open late but only on December 21 until 7 p.m.
Shop at home this holiday season and remember the important role your local merchants play in keeping your community strong.
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 locally.
Visit the Chamber’s Facebook page or ClarendonTX.com/Christmas for more information.
The Mulkey Theatre will host its third mystery dinner on Thursday, December 7, with “A Dickens of a Christmas” presenting a holiday whodunit.
Whose body has been found on Miss Havisham’s property? Is it her fiancé that left her at the altar 25 years ago? Become a part of Charles Dickens’s classic stories to solve this mystery.
Those attending are encouraged to come dressed in costume, such as tacky Christmas attire, a Charles Dickens character, or an ugly Christmas sweater.
Advance tickets are required and can be purchased at MulkeyTheatre.com and in person at the Clarendon Visitor Center. Tickets are $45 per person and include dinner by REFZ Sports Bar & Grill. BYOB is permitted.
The Clarendon and Hedley school districts have been recognized by the Texas Education Agency for their sound fiscal management during the 2022-2023 year with each school system earning an ‘A’ rating.
TEA announced this month that 88 percent of Texas public schools received the ‘A’ or Superior Achievement score from the state’s Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST).
Clarendon CISD Superintendent Jarod Bellar said the state looks at several criteria to score schools on financial accountability.
“They look at about 20 indicators, and they add more each time,” Bellar said. “There are things that if you don’t meet them, it can knock you down big time.”
Clarendon and Hedley both scored the highest rating of 100 on the FIRST.
“I attribute this success to our office staff and the excellent work they do,” Bellar said. “This isn’t based on the STARR or student achievements; it’s a look at finances and fund balances and things like that.”
Hedley CISD Superintendent Tracey Bell also credited her school’s business office for being “fantastic” and also credited the Hedley school board.
“The board does a good job of administering our finances and being fiscally responsible,” Bell said.
Both Clarendon and Hedley have received top FIRST scores from the state for several years, and both will be having public meetings in December to discuss their FIRST ratings.
CCISD will hold a public meeting at 7:00 p.m. December 11, in the Administration & Technology Building located at 416 South Allen Street. HCISD will hold its public meeting December 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Board Conference Room at 301 Jones Street.
Established in 2001 by the 77th Texas Legislature, FIRST encourages school systems to improve financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes. Ratings for 2022-2023 are based on annual financial reports provided to TEA by school systems for the 2022 fiscal year. These reports are subsequently reviewed by the agency and a rating is assigned.
School systems are assigned one of four possible letter grades (A, B, C, or F) under financial accountability ratings, as well as a coinciding financial management rating (Superior Achievement, Above Standard Achievement, Meets Standard Achievement, or Substandard Achievement).
FIRST ratings are calculated using 20 financial indicators for both traditional school districts and public charter schools, such as administrative cost expenditures; the accuracy of a district or charter school’s financial information submitted to TEA; and any financial vulnerabilities or material weaknesses in internal controls as determined by an external auditor.
To review the final 2022-2023 FIRST ratings for all school systems plus view final FIRST ratings from previous years, visit the TEA School FIRST web page for school districts or Charter FIRST web page for charter schools.
George W. Self was born on April 16, 1938, in Lelia Lake, Texas, to George and Pearl Self.
After studying chemistry at WTSU in Canyon, Texas, he spent his career working for companies in Wisconsin, Missouri and Arizona; and he played a leadership role in the Arizona chapter of the American Chemical Society. George pursued many hobbies throughout his life such as woodworking, painting, and motorcycle riding. But probably the one he loved the most was flying. After getting his pilot’s license in his thirties, he owned several planes, the last being a 1946 Piper Cub that he rebuilt from the wheel struts up.
George is survived by his three children and their spouses, Kristi and Larry Shade, Mitch and Elena Self, Brad and Yoshi Self; his five grandchildren, Courtney McGinty, Laura Walters, Mateo Self, Nicholas Self and Jeffrey Self; and his eight greatgrandchildren, Parker, Molly, Lucy, Micah, Jack, Georgia, Elliott and Anthony.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marilee Self.
George passed away on October 13, 2023, in Pampa, Texas. He was loved by many and will be missed. May he rest in peace.
Steven Ray Thornton, 64, of Clarendon died Sunday, November 26, 2023, in Amarillo.
Graveside services will be 2:00 PM Friday, December 1, 2023, in Ash Creek Cemetery in McAlester, Oklahoma.
Viewing will be held Thursday at the funeral home with family receiving friends for visitation from 4:00-6:00 PM.
Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon, Texas.
Steve was born May 9, 1959, in Pampa to William Allen and Marlene Griggs Thornton. He married Ann Marie Kutz on September 25, 1993, in Pampa. He had been a longtime resident of Pampa before moving to Clarendon in 1999. Steve was an active member of the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department since 2013. He enjoyed fishing, shooting, and a strawberry shake from Sonic. He deeply loved his family and his grandkids.
Steve was preceded in death by his father, and his step father, Don Riddle.
Survivors include his wife, Ann Thornton of Clarendon; his mother, Marlene Riddle of Pampa; his step mother, Glenda Thornton of Oklahoma; his sons, Brandon Thornton, Jake Chamber and wife Kelly of Illinois, Zach Brown and Kristin of Borger, Steve Thornton, Jr. of Iowa Park, Carl Thornton and wife Emma of Wellington, and Jerry Hardy and wife Rachel of Amarillo; his daughters, Jennifer Brady of Idaho and Lora Cabrialez and husband Armando of Mathis, Texas; his brothers, Brian Thornton of Oklahoma and Brian Tollison and wife Racheal of Montana; his sisters, Janet McNeely of Pampa and Stephanie Quaid and husband Jeff of Oklahoma; 9 grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The family request memorials be sent to the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 364, Clarendon, TX 79226.
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