Bigger crowd enjoys 2021 celebration

A beautiful Saturday morning was the perfect setting for the 144th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration July 3 at the Donley County Courthouse as Clarendon continued its tradition of celebrating America’s independence from the British crown.

Unseasonably cool temperatures with a bit of cloud cover greeted the crowd, which grew steadily as the morning went along. Soaking rains the week before and a brief shower that morning had the humidity higher than usual, but most folks agreed it was good trade off to avoid the typical hot July weather.

Unlike last year, social distancing was no where to be seen and masks were a rarity as booths returned to their usual locations and arrangements following the height of the pandemic last summer. Sanitizing stations were the main reminder that, for the unvaccinated, the threat of COVID-19 has not fully passed.

The Chamber of Commerce’s Kids’ Parade started the day with the youngsters peddling or driving in front of the Courthouse. A new “motorized” division was up first with Zaylee Jaramillo, first; Jack Trollinger, second; and Dawson Hall, third. In the 0-4 age group, Kendal Danner was first; Luke Leeper was second, and Zayne Portillo was third. Paden Kidd won the 5-8 age group with Lydia Balogh second and Memory Farmer third. The 9 and up age group was won by Meredith Artho in first place, Gage Kidd second, and Kase Zongker third.

The Herring Bank Parade followed the kids’ event and was very festive with nearly all of the entries following the parade theme, which recognized the opening of the new Aquatic Center this year: Make A Splash in Clarendon. The Bronco Cheerleaders’ float was the best in its category and the girls also won the Grand Prize as the best entry overall. Jerry Green’s Farmall tractor was the Best Farm Equipment, Zack’s Cheese was the Best Animal Entry, Shelby and Kutter O’Keefe had the Best Other entry, and Steve Carthel won the Best Car/Truck trophy for the second year in a row.

There was no organized Old Settlers Reunion this year.

The Al Morrah Shrine Club served 640 plates of barbecue this year, which was up significantly from 450 last year but still down slightly from 2019’s 660 plates. A portion of the proceeds from the annual barbecue are used in conjunction with the Khiva Shrine Temple in Amarillo to help pay for the transportation of kids to the Shriners’ burns and crippled children’s hospitals.

A celebrity dunking booth was set up by the Bronco Cheerleaders. Eager kids and donors lined up to cool off several notable people including school administrators, members of the state champion Bronco Basketball team, and County Attorney Landon Lambert.

The Donley County 4-H raffled off a gun, and Adam McDaniel of Kansas won it. The Clarendon Lions Club’s Cow Patty Bingo was won by Kierston Watts, Jacob Fangman, Sarah Mendez, and Halee Kotara. William Hoggard won the gun safe from the Bronco Band Boosters, and Mary Ruth White won the Chamber’s quarterly Shop Donley County drawing for $500.

Henson’s annual Turtle Race was also held Saturday afternoon. There were altogether 164 kids racing in three divisions, up from 98 youngsters last year. In addition, 46 adults entered a grown-up category.

Winning turtle jockeys were Kilynn Miller for the 0-4 division, Khloe Shadle for the 5-8 division, Caleb Askew for the 9-16 division, and Mandy Jaramillo for the adult division.