Morgan Wheatly

The fifth annual Mulkey Block Party will be rocking downtown Clarendon this Saturday, May 27, from 6 to 10 p.m., and a special presentation is planned for inside the theatre.

The 100 block of Kearney Street will be closed starting Saturday morning as work begins to set up the stage and other amenities for the party.

The evening will be a night of dancing, kids’ games, and food and vendor booths in a fun-filled atmosphere to help support continued renovations of the 1946 Mulkey Theater.

The party begins at 6 p.m. as local singer/song-writer Rev. Black Flowers takes the stage to provide the opening live music before Amarillo’s most highly rated band, “Insufficient Funds,” comes on at 7 p.m.

During the band’s intermission that evening, the crowd will be asked to convene inside the Mulkey where Dusty and Nikki Green will premiere a new documentary.

The Greens, Howardwick residents who star in the national PBS series “Two for the Road,” interviewed local residents for the basis of “Cinema City,” which tells the story of Clarendon’s Mulkey Theatre.

There is no charge to enter the block party. Kids movies will be showing in the theatre throughout the evening, and popcorn and other concessions will be available in the Mulkey. People are encouraged to bring their own lawn or camp chairs for use either inside watching movies or outside to enjoy the live music.

The Whistle-Stop Trade Days along with the Chamber of Commerce and the Bronco Cheerleaders will provide a large bounce house for kids to enjoy.

Food booths run the gamut of everything from baked goods to sliders, and local vendors will also have items for sale.

The Herring Bank car and motorcycle show will be held again on the bank’s parking lot, and all year models are welcome.

For more information about this year’s block party, contact the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.

The sign-up period for Clarendon’s 12th annual “Trash To Treasures” garage sale event closes this Friday, May 26, at 5 p.m.

A wide participation is expected again for this year’s sale, which is slated for Saturday, June 3. Garage sales in Hedley, Howardwick, and the surrounding area are also welcome to sign up for the big day.

Residents who wish to participate in this year’s “Trash To Treasures” are asked to come by the Enterprise before 5 p.m. on Friday, May 26, to sign up for the promotion.

For just $25, each household will get a 50-word advertisement in the Big-E Classifieds and the exclusive “Trash To Treasures” garage sale signs. In addition, the Enterprise will print a map indicating the location of each sale and will promote the event with area ads.

“The more people who have garage sales during Trash To Treasures, the better everyone will do,” Enterprise publisher Roger Estlack said. “The sign-up fee covers the cost of area advertising, so we can reach more people and have better attendance if we have a larger number of sales.”

The City of Clarendon requires all garage sales to be permitted. There is no charge for the permit, but City Hall asks all Trash To Treasures participants to get a copy of the city’s rules governing garage sales.

For more information, call 874-2259.

The Clarendon College Board of Regents approved renewing 13 faculty members who work on 12-month schedules during their regular meeting May 18.

Those faculty members renewed were Jay Anders, welding; Missing Billings, cosmetology; Erinn Campbell, cosmetology; Brent Childers, industrial maintenance; Jana Coats, cosmetology; Betty Couch, nursing; Raylynn Cruz, cosmetology; Dr. Rodney Donahue, theatre; Kaylynn Fasholtz, nursing; Bret Franks, ranch horse/rodeo; Alicia Hunter, nursing; Mandy Poole, intro to nursing; and Tommie Ray, cosmetology.

Regents also ratified the hiring of Donnie Chambless as the Director of Maintenance and acknowledged the resignations of Gabby Gloria, student life coordinator; Connor McKowen, assistant livestock judging coach; Garner Small, assistant men’s basketball coach; and nursing instructor Joanne Genn.

In other college business, the board welcomed Edwin Campbell as its newest member as he received the oath of office. Campbell was appointed last month to fill the term of the late Delbert Robertson.

Regents approved a plan for improvements to the Deyhle House as presented by chairman Jerry Woodard.

In his president’s report, Dr. Robert Riza updated the board on the college’s current strategic plan, which he said includes 62 individual items. Eight of those, he said, are ongoing efforts but the remainder have all been completed, and the administration is now planning for the next strategic plan.

It was reported that Dr. Riza has been nominated by the Texas Association of Community Colleges and the Higher Education Coordinating Board to a committee looking at formula funding for community and technical colleges.

The board approved a motion to hold its June meeting in Pampa and its July meeting in Childress.

Clarendon High School announced last week that it has been selected by Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and the Institute for Productivity in Education (IPE)  as one of 727 public schools in Texas to receive the title of 2016 Honor Roll school.

The Honor Roll is part of a national effort to identify higher-performing schools and highlight successful practices that improve outcomes for students. Schools receiving this distinction from leaders in the Texas academic and business communities have demonstrated consistent high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and reduction in achievement gaps among student populations. For High Schools, the Honor Roll recognition also includes measures of college readiness. The Honor Roll is comprised of two different awards, the “Star Schools” Award and “Scholar Schools” Award.

Star Schools are those with significant populations of socio-economically disadvantaged students that have shown a significant increase in grade-level proficiency over time. Scholar Schools are schools that are showing significant levels of academic achievement, but do not have a significant socio-economically disadvantaged student population.

“We are so proud to be recognized by education and business leaders in Texas as an Honor Roll School District,” said Larry Jeffers, school principal. “Our teachers work tirelessly to keep the focus on high expectations and student academic achievement and to continuously improve our practices. This hard work and dedication is paying off for all of our students, no matter their background.”

“These Honor Roll schools are clearly improving outcomes for their students, as the academic data show,” said Charles Miller, chairman of IPE. “The next step is to understand how their educational productivity then translates to economic productivity. To do this, we must link academic and financial data to measure educational funding vs. student outcomes. Our economy will thrive when we are boosting student achievement without spending more – that is to say, when we are getting the biggest bang for our education buck.”

“Many schools across the country are doing well, even those with high numbers of historically disadvantaged students,” said Jim Lanich, ERP President and CEO.  “The Honor Roll proves that all schools, no matter what zip code they are in, can achieve this kind of success. School and school district leaders have a great opportunity to find out what’s working at these Honor Roll schools and replicate it.”

The Texas Honor Roll program is made possible by generous support from numerous businesses and organizations including the Texas Business Leadership Council, American Automobile Association (AAA) Texas, Macy’s, Wells Fargo, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, and several private foundations. Chevron Corporation provides support for the STEM Honor Roll.

A Hedley Junior High student lost her life Saturday, May 6, in a two-vehicle accident one mile west of the community.

Funeral services for 12-year-old Kylie Allison Monroe were held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 17, at the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Kirk Watson, Rev. Matthew Stidham, and Rev. Anthony Knowles officiating. Interment followed in the Rowe Cemetery near Hedley with arrangements by Robertson Funeral Directors.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Lynn Mays said Monroe’s mother, Katherine Monroe, age 43, was traveling eastbound on US 287 at about 6 p.m. Saturday in a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier when she slowed her vehicle to turn left at the crossover near the family’s fruit stand.

Erika Roberts, 34, of Amarillo, was driving a 2016 Jeep Renegade directly behind Monroe. She failed to control her speed and crashed into the rear end of the Cavalier.

Kylie Monroe, traveling in the backseat of the Cavalier, was pronounced dead on scene by Donley County Justice of the Peace Pam Mason.

Mrs. Monroe and a 10-year-old female front seat passenger from Anson were air-lifted to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo, where they were treated and released.

Roberts’ vehicle caught fire after the crash. She was able to get out of the vehicle and was not injured.

“This is a case of driver inattention,” Trooper Mays said. “Roberts appears to have been going highway speed, 70 to 75 miles per hour, and a witness confirmed she was not speeding.”

Mays said all occupants involved in the crash were wearing seat belts. The road conditions were dry and no other vehicles were involved.

The accident remains under investigation, and no charges had been filed as of Monday. An autopsy was ordered in the case.

Responding to the scene were the Clarendon and Hedley fire departments, Associated Ambulance Authority, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Donley County Sheriff’s Office.

Hedley School Principal Reida Penman said Monroe was a sixth grader and played on the junior high basketball team.

Hedley ISD brought in a crisis team from the Region 16 Education Service Center Monday to meet with students and teachers in small groups, and the school canceled classes Wednesday.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce named Bob Weiss as its new manager last Thursday, May 11.

Weiss has been serving as interim manager since February when Bonnie Campbell retired from the position.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors formally named Weiss to the position after accepting several applications for the job but being impressed by the work he had done in a short time.

“Bob is a natural for this position,” said Chamber President Roger Estlack. “He understands the purpose of the Chamber, he wants to serve the members and the community, and he brings with him a great background as a small business owner.”

Weiss is maintaining regular hours inside the Clarendon Visitor Center at the Mulkey Theatre from 10 to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., but there are times he will be out calling on businesses during those hours.

“I’m interested in increasing activities of the Chamber and helping businesses in town,” Weiss said. “I want to work with businesses on ideas they think will help them.”

The new manager has been a member of the Chamber since 2009 when he and his family opened Jobobs Pizza, which they operated for about two years. He was a member of the Chamber board from 2013 through 2015 and then returned to the board last fall to fill an unexpired term.

Since February, Weiss has represented Clarendon and the Chamber at the Texas Travel Fair in Amarillo and at the Amarillo Business Connection. He has also met with representatives of the chambers of commerce in Quanah, Childress, Memphis, and Claude to discuss ways communities can work together to capitalize on traffic on US 287.

In addition to helping with the upcoming Mulkey Block Party, he says he’s also working to build participation in the the parade for the Saints’ Roost Celebration and hopes to have some band members marching in the parade.

Weiss is also working to bring more members into the Chamber and says anyone interested in joining is welcome to come see him.

For more information about the Chamber of Commerce, call 874-2421, go by the office at 110 S. Kearney.

The Clarendon City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday, May 30, at 7 p.m. regarding an alcohol variance request by Allsup’s Convenience Stores.

According to a letter presented to the city on April 25, Allsup’s real estate holding company, High Five Capital, LP, is under contract to purchase property on US 287 to build a new 4,800 square foot store with 20 auto fueling stations and a separate four lane truck fueling station. The $2.6 million investment will cover 2.67 acres on the site of the old Hardin home now owned by Odima Investments.

Allsup’s plans to sell beer and wine in the new location, but the property is bordered by Third Street on the south, which puts it directly across from Bronco Stadium. According to city ordinance, alcohol cannot be sold on a property within 300 feet of the school.

At their regular meeting last Thursday, May 11, Clarendon aldermen approved an ordinance to establish a formal variance request procedure and then set the May 30 public hearing date.

In open comments, resident Chris Moore spoke against the variance request, citing concerns about the precedence it would set, the “hypocrisy” of having anti-drug and anti-alcohol programs at the school with alcohol across the street, safety issues with traffic coming over the hill to the new business, and the likelihood of a truck stop attracting “vagrants, drugs, [and] prostitution.”

“The proposed site is going to open a Pandora’s box for alcohol possibly being sold right beside a house of worship, school, etc.,” Moore said in a written statement. “It will make an unintentionally dangerous traffic area.”

In his variance request letter, Mark Allsup outlined his company’s position.

“Allsup’s has a long history of strict compliance with alcoholic beverage laws and is diligent with those practices and is thorough on training of store personnel,” Allsup wrote. “There have been several cases in cities where Allsup’s has requested a variance for similar purposes and has been granted such.

“I would say that there has not been any case where this has not been considered a good decision for all involved,” Allsup wrote.

In other city business, aldermen approved a citywide clean up June 5-10; canvassed the May election; administered the oath of office to Mayor Sandy Skelton and Aldermen Jacob Fangman and Nathan Floyd; and held a reception in honor of Alderman Doug Kidd, who chose not to run for reelection.