Morgan Wheatly

Fair weather greeted hundreds of supporters of the Mulkey Theatre Saturday evening when Clarendon held its second annual Mulkey Block Party.

The event was hosted by the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and an advisory committee and marked the completion of the first interior renovations to the 1946 movie house. While last year’s celebration featured the complete refurbishment of the building’s façade, this year’s party showcased the building’s lobby, concession area, restrooms, and ticket booth.

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, figures were not complete for how much the event raised to continue Phase Two Interior Renovations, but the Block Party was widely hailed as a success by those in attendance who enjoyed the fun, music, food, dancing, and booths on Kearney Street.

The event was bookended by much needed rain on Friday and Sunday, which dropped nearly two inches of moisture on Clarendon. The potential of more rain the day of the event caused organizers to relocate the main stage from the north end of Kearney Street to below the Mulkey marquee, which provided the perfect backdrop for the event.

Several kids’ activities were available as well as food booths, and a temporary screen and projector allowed cartoons to be shown inside the theatre with popcorn and drinks available at the concession area. It was the first movies on a big screen in the Mulkey in nearly 30 years and the first time the smell of fresh popcorn wafted through the lobby since 1986.

Steve Hall and Jesse Lincycomb warmed up the crowd before one of the best bands in the Panhandle, Insufficient Funds, took the stage for the second year and again wowed the crowd with a wide range of popular music and rock and roll.

The second annual Herring Bank Mulkey Car Show was won by Johnny Floyd with a Super Bee. Redell Johnston was second with a Chevy Impala, and Otte Jones was third with an El Camino.

A live auction was also held during the event that featured several items, each of which brought in more than $100. The most popular auction item was four tickets to a Texas Rangers’ game that raised $825.

Major sponsors for the second annual Block Party were Budweiser, Cielo Wind Power, AEP/SWEPCO, and Parts Plus Floyd’s Automotive.

Organizers will be meeting soon to discuss ideas for next year’s party to continue public support for the ongoing rehabilitation of the theatre. Donations to the effort to continue restoration of the theatre can be made to the Clarendon Community Fund, PO Box 826, Clarendon, TX 79226.

 Dr. John Howard is set to be the next judge of Donley County following Tuesday’s Republican runoff election.

Howard received 58.9 percent of the vote over Donley County Chief Deputy Randy Bond. The final tally was 412 for Howard and 288 for Bond.

The candidates survived a four-man primary election on March 4, which also featured Jack Craft and Gary Campbell. More than 900 people voted in that election, which was forced resulted in a runoff after no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote.

An even 700 people cast ballots in the Republican runoff, but interestingly Howard and Bond both improved their March vote totals by nearly equal numbers. Howard received 59 more votes than he did in March. Bond’s total went up by 58 from the last election.

Early voting totals closely predicted the final margin of victory with Howard securing 62.7 percent of early ballots, 235-140.

With no Democratic opponent for November’s General Election, Howard is set to succeed County Judge Jack Hall, who is retiring at the end of his current term after more than 17 years in office.

Howard currently serves as the chairman of the Clarendon College Board of Regents, and he will have to resign that position sometime before his term as judge begins in January.

Kids’ College classes at Clarendon College will get underway next Monday.

More than 25 courses will be offered in the months of June, July, and August for kids ages 4-15.

“We have a wide variety of classes for kids and teens this summer, and we’ve set the schedule up so that even kids who go on vacation can still hopefully attend a portion of the offerings,” CC Marketing Coordinator Ashlee Estlack said. “We enjoy offering Kids’ College as a way for kids to learn in a fun environment right here at home.”

This year’s courses feature popular returners from last year including Ballet, Let’s Have a Tea Party, Erupt a Volcano, and Pinkalicious. New to this year’s schedule are It’s a Gas, Egg Drop Challenge, Elastic Band Bracelets, Baseball Camp, Kids Cooking and much more!

“We are also excited to offer several camps as part of Kids’ College,” Estlack said.

“This year we have Cowboy Camp, which was very popular last year, returning and we have added Baseball, Cheerleading and Judging Camps to the schedule.”

The College is also hosting a free event as part of Kids’ College this year – storyteller, Bernadette Nason will perform on Thursday, August 7.

Nason is an award-winning actress, storyteller, writer and stand-up comedienne who is touring the US with traditional stories adapted from the folklore of cultures from all over the world.

This event is funded by the Texas Commission on the Arts to bring live performance to rural Texas libraries.

Kids ages 4 & up are invited and the storytelling will start at 10 am in the Vera Dial Dickey Library on the College campus.

Students can be registered up until 3:00 p.m. the day before any class starts. The first classes start Monday, June 2, and the last course will end the week of August 15.

For more information on Kids’ College, stop by the Student Services office in the Instructional Center or visit online at www.clarendoncollege.edu/kidscollege.pdf. Anyone with questions can also contact Estlack at 806-874-4808.

The college is open Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Deborah Howard was named one of four female scholar athletes from the Amarillo area by the Amarillo Globe-News and Happy State Bank.

The newspaper’s “Athletes of the Week” and “Athletes of the Year”

program is eleven years old, according to publisher Lee Simpson. The banquet to honor scholar athletes and 21 other student athletes from schools of all classifications was held in the Heritage Ballroom of the Amarillo Civic Center, and students were honored from all Amarillo schools (Tascosa, Amarillo High, Palo Duro, and Caprock) as well as from many other area schools like Wellington, Tulia, Bushland, and Clarendon.

Deborah was one of only two scholar athletes chosen from 1A schools in the area. The banquet was emceed by sportswriter Lance Lahnert and TV anchor Jay Ricci, local media personalities. Coach Molly Weatherred, who nominated Howard for the award, said Deborah was “one of a kind” with “great leadership qualities” and “the definition of a scholar athlete.”

Clarendon Cub Scout Pack 437 held its final meeting for the 2013-2014 season Thursday, May 22, at the First United Methodist Church.

Webelos Scout Tyler Paul received his Arrow of Light Award and was bridged over as a new member of Boy Scout Troop 433. While earning Cub Scouting’s highest award, Tyler received the following Webelos pins: Scientist, Outdoorsman, Scholar, Readyman, and Naturalist in addition to earning belt loops for Wildlife Conservation, Reading & Writing, Science, Pet Care, Mathematics, Horseback Riding, Geologist, Family Member, and Good Manners.

Tyler was also recognized for selling more Camp Cards than any other member of Pack 437, and in fact was the top seller in the entire Santa Fe District.

Den 2 members received six belt loops as well as silver arrow points for work beyond their Wolf rank. Steven Mills, Patrick Monds, and Jacob Murrillo received loops for Horseback Riding, Hiking, Wildlife Conservation, Geology, Mathematics, and Science.

Den 1 members Nathan Estlack and Damien Jaramillo received gold arrow points for work beyond their Bear rank, and they also received Science and Mathematics belt loops.

Den 3 Tiger Cubs also received several belt loops. Astronomy loops were earned by Ben Estlack, Daniel Estlack, Kaden Early, Aiden Word, Aiden Jaramillo, Grant Hanes, Henry Bivens, Mason Allred, Ethan Voglegsang, and Jackson Graves. The same boys along with Jaythan Green earned loops for Science and Mathematics.

Three young men were also recognized with God & Country awards Thursday evening. Tyler Paul earned his God & Family award, and Steven Mills and Jacob Murrillo earned their God & Me awards.

Clarendon’s Kearney Street will come alive Saturday night as the second annual Mulkey Block Party kicks off the Memorial Day weekend.

Steve Hall and Jesse Lincycomb of Howardwick will provide the opening musical entertainment starting at 6 p.m. before Amarillo’s “Insufficient Funds” takes the stage for the evening.

In addition to dancing, food booths, and kids games on the street, and there will be fun for the entire family and kids from the ages of 0 to 99.

A $5 donation at the theatre door will get a wristband good for popcorn and drinks and allow folks to come-and-go throughout the evening. Cartoons will be showing inside the Mulkey with a temporary screen and projector, sponsored by Clarendon College, Mike’s Pharmacy, and Greenbelt Electric.

A live auction will also be held during the night, and several very nice items have been donated to the Mulkey cause, including four tickets and parking pass to a Texas Rangers game, handmade jewelry, diamond earrings, a pizza a week for a year at Pizza Hut, $200 towards new tires, a “day of beauty,” a three-month gym membership, and more. Check out the Mulkey Theatre Facebook page to find out more about the live auction.

Food booths run the gamut of everything from baked goods to fajita-on-a-stick to homemade ice cream.

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

Those entering the theatre will be in for a treat as workers have spent the last two months rehabilitating the lobby and restrooms and making them shine like new. Neon cove lighting has been restored, the concession area has been refurbished, and electrical and plumbing systems have been updated. Interior woodwork has been refinished, plaster has been repaired and painted to match its original 1946 color scheme, and new light fixtures have been installed.

Major funding for this year’s block party has been provided by Budweiser and Cielo Wind Power. For more information on the Mulkey Block Party or car show, contact the Clarendon Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.

Voters will decide Tuesday which man will be the next Donley County Judge as John Howard and Randy Bond face each other in a Republican runoff election.

Howard, a local physician and chairman of Clarendon College’s Board of Regents, and Bond, the Donley County Chief Deputy, were the top two vote getters for that position during the March primary, but neither man got more than 50 percent of the total vote in that four-person race.

Voters who cast ballots in the March Democratic Primary cannot vote in the Republican runoff, but all other registered Donley County voters can vote in this election.

The winner of the Republican runoff is facing no opposition in the November General Election and will succeed County Judge Jack Hall, who is retiring at the end of his term.

Several statewide races are also on the runoff ballot.

Early voting by personal appearance will continue through Friday, May 23, at the Donley County Courthouse Annex.

The Republican Runoff Election will be held Tuesday, May 27, with polling open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations: Precinct 101, Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center; Precinct 102, Howardwick City Hall; Precinct 201, Donley County Courthouse – Commissioners’ Courtroom; Precinct 301, Assembly of God Fellowship Hall; Precinct 303, Hedley First Baptist Church; and Precinct 401, Church of Christ Family Life Center. Check your voter registration card to determine your precinct location.

Clarendon city aldermen approved purchasing two new pickups during their regular meeting last Tuesday, May 13.

The purchase of the Ford pickups for $21,500 was approved on a 4-1 vote, with Alderman Doug Kidd voting against the measure. Kidd later said he would have preferred to wait until the new budget year for any more major purchases.

Alderman Larry Jeffers voted for the measure but said in the future he would prefer to see bid notices put in the local paper for the sake of transparency, whether it is legally required or not. According to state law, cities don’t have to give publish a bid notice if the purchase is less than $50,000.

In other business, Alderman Sandy Skelton asked for changes in the way city meetings are conducted. Skelton requested that the “list of bills” and the “revenue and expense report” not be part of the catch-all “consent agenda,” which also includes the minutes, the library report, and other items and is typically approved in one motion.

Skelton said he felt like the board has a responsibility to spend a little more time on financial matters, and city officials said those items would be broken out in future agendas.

Alderman Skelton also said he would like the mayor to give regular updates on projects as part of the usual agenda.

The board also discussed changing from twice-a-month meetings to a once monthly schedule. Alderman Larry Jeffers was a proponent of the idea and said he came on the board at a time that he wasn’t very busy but that he would be busier in the fall.

“I just may not be able to make every meeting,” Jeffers said.

Skelton said he felt the board had too much to do, especially given that the city is operating without a city administrator.

No action was taken on the meeting schedule.

Similarly, no action was taken on water rates again last week, although City Secretary Machiel Covey did present some ideas to the board and asked them to look them over for a future meeting.

Aldermen approved naming the Underwood Law Firm as the city’s attorney and James Shelton as the assistant city attorney.

The board also heard an annual report from Tammy Christopher from the Local Housing Authority and a quarterly report from on economic development and Hotel Occupancy Tax funds from Chandra Eggemeyer.

Public Works Director John Molder reported on the Fifth Street waterline project and said the line between Bugbee Avenue and Collinson Street had been installed, sanitized, and flushed. As soon as test results were received, connections would be made with residences, Molder said.