Morgan Wheatly

Christmas is almost upon us; and if you’ve still got shopping to do, this is a great weekend to get out and shop at home.

Between the monthly trade days out at the Whistle-Stop and the deals you can find among our local merchants, there should be something for everyone on your gift list.

By shopping in Clarendon this weekend, you can park right in front of your favorite store, be greeted by the business man or woman who knows your first name, and find great gifts for great prices. You will find great selections, great savings, and service that you can only get right in a small town.

Your local merchants are the ones who pay taxes here to support your city, county, college, school, and ambulance service. They are the ones who pony up every time a kid comes in raising money for the third or fourth “worthy cause” this week, and then when they go to the grocery store, they will dig into their pocket and find money for the cookies or pies at the bake sale of the week.

The money we spend in Amarillo pretty much stays in Amarillo. It pays for streets in Amarillo, supports their dream of a new baseball stadium, and supports their schools and their kids. It doesn’t come home, it doesn’t keep the lights on in our school, and it doesn’t keep our senior citizens centers running.

The Enterprise has always supported the “shop at home” theme and encourages people to “be loyal and buy local” whenever it is possible. And likewise, our local merchants have always gone out of their way to try to make shopping Clarendon attractive and fun.

This Saturday morning, you can take your kids to see Santa at the Mulkey Theatre and the let them watch holiday movies at the Mulkey that afternoon.

You can enjoy great concessions from St. Mary’s Church at the Masonic Lodge Hall during the day, and then that evening support a great cause – raising money for Amber Williams – at a chili supper Saturday evening at the Crossties Ministry Center.

And you can also enjoy great holiday booths – many of them belonging to local organizations – at the Arena of Life Cowboy Church downtown and also at the ministry center.

And this year we are fortunate to have the Whistle-Stop Trade Days on the same weekend. The monthly endeavor established earlier this year by Kimberly and Jordan Green draws big crowds to Clarendon each month and has helped our sales tax base expand significantly.

If you haven’t been to the Whistle-Stop at the old Chamberlain Motor Company building, you are definitely missing out. It’s a shopping experience like you’ve never seen in Clarendon. They have vendors selling everything you can imagine – jerky, soap, antiques, collectibles, clothes, tools, furniture, unique gifts, and more. There is stuff outside and inside and everywhere you look.

But it’s more than shopping, it’s fun. There are things for kids to enjoy, and also entertainment for the grown-ups. Where else can you find live music, great food, and cold beer in one spot without leaving town? And there is often typically different musicians playing at the same time in different locations… the beer garden behind the main building, the old showroom, and the old service center.

For several years now, our family has set the goal of getting as much of our Christmas shopping done right here at home and that’s the goal again for 2016. Always remembering which side our bread is buttered on, our intention is to make the majority of our purchases from local merchants – the men and women who support our community and our newspaper.

And now with the Whistle-Stop, we have even more local choices for our holiday purchases. Several of the vendors are local folks and the sales tax from all of the vendors – regardless of where their home base is – stays here in our town.

Think about your purchases. It makes a difference when you shop at home. It is simple economics, and it is common sense. The more you spend in Donley County, the more our local businesses can put right back into the local economy.

We all win when we shop at home, and this weekend is a great time to put your money to work for your community while having fun and supporting your friends and neighbors.

A busy weekend is at hand as the city prepares to welcome visitors to the fourth annual “Christmas in Clarendon” sales event and the monthly Whistle-Stop Trade Days.

More than 100 vendors will be set up Saturday and Sunday, December 10 and 11, at the Whistle-Stop with all kinds of merchandise available, including Christmas gifts, antiques, junk, tools, furniture, boutiques, home décor, and more. Many vendors will also be open on Friday at the Whistle-Stop, and, as always, there will be live music, food, and cold beer at the Whistle Stop. Santa Claus will also be making an appearance at the Trade Days.

The big day will be Saturday as local merchants roll out Christmas savings, and downtown Clarendon is a center of activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Local holiday vendors will be set up in the Arena of Life Cowboy Church and at the Crossties Ministry Center on Kearney Street, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church will have lunch and concessions available in the Masonic Lodge Dining Hall.

Santa Claus will be available for pictures with kids at the Mulkey Theatre from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and then kids movies will be showing in the Mulkey from 1 to 4 p.m. with popcorn and drinks available.

The Chamber also has new “Home for the Holidays” long sleeve Clarendon t-shirts available for this Christmas. The shirts are $20 each and are available now in the Clarendon Visitor Center or on Saturday at the Chamber booth in the Cowboy Church building.

In addition to sales at merchants both downtown and along the highway, the Masonic Lodge will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for those interested in learning more about freemasonry or activities of the lodge.

To support the local sales, the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce is giving away $250 in Clarendon Cash to one lucky shopper who shops at home this Saturday. A purchase of $100 or more at a Chamber member will qualify for an entry into the drawing, and sign-up information will be at Chamber members during the day. The drawing will be held next Monday, December 12.

A few booth spaces for “Christmas in Clarendon” are still available by contacting Bonnie Campbell at the Clarendon Visitor Center at 874-2421 or on her cell at 205-3150.

Following the day’s activities, a Chili Supper will be held beginning at 5 p.m. at the Crossties Ministry Center. Proceeds will benefit Amber Williams, a Clarendon second grade teacher currently receiving medical treatment at MD Anderson in Houston.

Shop at home this holiday season and remember the important role your local merchants play in keeping your community strong.

For more about this weekend’s sales, see pages four and five.

Fundraising reaches $128,000 in first two months

The site is chosen, the design is set, and now the effort to build a water recreation facility in Clarendon has entered its most critical phase and is meeting with success.

Active fundraising for the $2 million project began at the end of September, and as of Tuesday morning, $128,000 has been raised to meet the $500,000 challenge that anonymous benefactor put up in July of last year. That figure is encouraging to committee members as a general push for donations gets underway.

Clarendon Mayor and Water Recreation Steering Committee Chairman Sandy Skelton says the facility will be a tremendous asset to the community.

“The City of Clarendon has a unique opportunity to enhance the quality of life for all citizens by developing a nice aquatic center close to the downtown area,” Skelton said. “Members of the Steering/Fund Raising Committee are confident we can meet the benefactor’s challenge of raising $500,000. Citizens will be given an opportunity to donate over the next several months in order to help meet that challenge. Clarendon has never had a swimming pool and it is now time to make it happen.”

The large majority of funds committed so far are from private businesses and individuals with the exception of $5,000 from Donley County and $25,000 approved by the Clarendon Economic Development Corp. this week.

The city-appointed steering committee spent several months evaluating two different locations for the project before voting in April to select property already owned by the city on the southeast corner of Fourth and Kearney Streets, east of the Post Office.

Over the next few months, a design was created by working with Waters Edge, the same design firm that worked on the Wellington Aquatic Venue. The final design includes 4,345 square feet of water surface area and features intended to provide something for citizens of all ages.

The plan includes four lap lanes, a diving area, a climbing wall, a shallow play area, a slide, and amenities for playing volleyball and basketball in the water. Water sprays and floatable play devices will add to the excitement for children.

The water will be accessible for those with disabilities, and the site plans also include sunshades, tables, and a combination bathhouse, filter building, and concession building. The facility will be fenced and lighted as well.

The fundraising committee is now meeting with potential donors with the goal of meeting the benefactor’s $500,000 challenge by May and then use the combined $1 million to apply for matching funds from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

Groups that are interested in seeing a presentation about the project are asked to call City Administrator David Dockery at City Hall at 806-874-3438.

Those interested in making a donation to the project can contact Dockery or Skelton or send contributions directly to the Donley County Community Fund, PO Box 906, Clarendon, Texas 79226, and please note “Water Recreation Project” in the memo.

The Donley County Community Fund is a component fund of the Amarillo Area Foundation, which makes donations tax deductible under 501(c)3 rules. Money donated for this purpose will be dedicated for a water recreation project in Clarendon.

A recent ranking by Schools.com lists Clarendon College as the #2 Community College in the state of Texas for 2016.

This marks the second year in a row that the organization has ranked CC as the state’s second best community college.

Sixty-six colleges were ranked and scored on a 10-point scale, using data including the percentage of students enrolled in distance education, student-to-faculty ratio, cost of attendance, graduation rate, the number of transfer to four-year public college in Texas, and flexibility.

“Obviously we are very excited and proud,” CC President Dr. Robert Riza said. “This just goes back to the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff.”

The article praises the CC’s online course offerings and low student-to-faculty ratio, which is one of the lowest in the state. Clarendon also has the second highest graduation rates in the state, the article says.

Clarendon College says its student-teacher ratio is 16:1 compared to a 20:1 state average and its average time for students to earn an associate’s degree is 2.3 years compared to the state average of 4.4 years.

In addition, the College’s ranking by CNNMoney for best student success in Texas was also recognized.

Galveston College is ranked #1 on the top 10 list, with Lone Star, Collin County, and Western Texas rounding out the top 5 schools.

To read the entire ranking, visit the Schools.com article at http://bit.ly/1FyTm4R.