Morgan Wheatly

The C Bar C Ranch gave a repeat performance at the 21st annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday, September 26, winning the event for the second year in a row.

Fourteen wagons in all competed on the Saints’ Roost Museum grounds as the Hartley-based C Bar C placed in four out five food categories, secured first place in Overall Cooking, and then took home the champion bean pot for the best Overall Wagon & Cooking.

The C Bar C team are long-time participants in the Clarendon cookoff. Sue Cunningham and her sister, Jean Cates, who passed away last year, have been inducted in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame for their pioneering efforts as women on the chuckwagon cookoff circuit.

Officials with the Saints’ Roost Museum, which sponsors the event, said they fed about 615 people at the cookoff, compared to about 570 people last year.

The C Bar C placed first in Meat, Bread, and Dessert and third in Potatoes.

The eighth annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew 13 contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. Justin Perry from Eagle Pass won first place and was teamed with the Bar H Dude Ranch Team of Clarendon.

Ja’Lyn Lagrand from Happy was second with the C4B Chuckwagon Team of Amarillo, and Sydney Perry from Eagle Pass was third, cooking with the Croton Creek Team.

Following the Junior Cookoff, 214 people enjoyed a delicious steak dinner Friday night on the museum grounds, compared to 146 the year before. The invitation-only event was held exclusively for Chuckwagon teams and members of the Museum and their families.

The trade show was held throughout the day Saturday, and live entertainment was provided. Relatives of Chuckwagon inventor Charles Goodnight also were present for their annual reunion.

The 14 wagons served a menu of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, beans, and cobbler. Prizes totaling $3,250 were paid out to the winners.

Complete results were:

Overall Wagon & Cooking: 1) C Bar C Ranch.

Overall Cooking: 1) C Bar C, 2) Rising W Chuckwagon of Happy, 3) Cross Wagon of Vega, and 4) Rocking MR Chuckwagon of Blooming Grove.

Best Wagon & Camp: 1) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo, 2) Croton Creek Association of Lubbock, 3) Honey-Do Spoiler of Pampa, and 4) Musselshell Wagon of Roundup, Mont.

Best Meat: 1) C Bar C, 2) Croton Creek, 3) T-Half Circle Wagon of Silverton, and 4) Rising W.

Best Beans: 1) Cross Wagon, 2) Cocklebur Camp of Odessa, 3) HX Ranch of Lubbock, and 4) Bar H Dude Ranch of Clarendon.

Best Potatoes: 1) Musselshell, 2) Rising W, 3) C Bar C, and 4) Rocking MR.

Best Bread: 1) C Bar C, 2) Cross Wagon, 3) Rising W, and 4) Honey-Do Spoiler.

Best Dessert: 1) C Bar C, 2) Rising W, 3) Trapdrag Wagon of Pampa, and 4) T-Half Circle.

The Pearce Foundry West of Memphis again made the commemorative cast iron bean pot taken home by the cookoff winning team.

 

WHITE DEER – Donley County groundwater conservation areas C-15-1 and C-15-2 were major topics of discussion when the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors held their monthly meeting on Wednesday, September, 23, at the District’s office.

Many representatives from Donley County were present to address the Board with concerns about turning the Study Areas into Conservation Areas, areas in which the Board could implement more intense monitoring and additional conversation, which could include restrictions on water pumpage.

C.E. Williams, General Manager of the District began with a presentation showing the decline rate and use of water in the areas over the past several years. The two areas of concern have steadily been declining over the acceptable rate since 2007. Representatives were given the opportunity to address the Board members regarding the issue.

One representative said he knows how hard they have been pumping their wells over the last several years, but he urged the Board to hold off until after the results of the 2016 winter water level measurements. The District takes measurements in the wintertime, usually in a period when producers are not pumping, to receive more accurate measurements of the static water level, which is a representation of what the well produces.

Another issue concerning the representatives was the meters used on the wells. A few of the representatives believe the meters do not always provide accurate readings. Williams said if there is ever a problem with a meter the District needs to be notified immediately where corrective action can be taken.

“These are the type of things we need to know, and we won’t know about these issues unless you tell our technicians or call the office to inform us. We also want you to know, you are welcome to accompany our technicians while they check the meters on your wells or observe well level measurements. All you need to do is let us know in advance.”

Williams also reminded that meters are required on all wells in a Study Area, not just these areas in Donley County, but all counties currently in Study Areas. The Districts’ meters are the most cost effective method we have identified for those who are required to use them, but those producers are allowed to purchase their own meters if they feel the Districts’ is not sufficiently accurate. Ultimately, the Board decided against sending these areas to a public formal hearing, the next step in the Conservation Area process, and the meeting was adjourned.

 

A new Welcome Guide is greeting visitors and newcomers to Donley County courtesy of The Clarendon Enterprise in cooperation with the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.

The 36-page, magazine format guide features welcomes from Mayor Larry Hicks, Donley County Judge John Howard, and Clarendon College President Robert Riza and includes information on local events scheduled through February 2016.

“We’re very proud of this publication, and we appreciate the support of all the local businesses and organizations who purchased advertising space in this endeavor,” said Enterprise publisher Roger Estlack. “We believe this will be something that people will want to keep handy for all kinds of information.”

The Welcome Guide has maps for Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick with locations of popular attractions and landmarks marked; lists important information and contact numbers for those cities and the county; and provides contact numbers and information for local schools, daycares, and health care providers.

Local churches are listed in Guide as are local real estate agents and rental properties. Greenbelt Lake and the Clarendon Country Club are featured prominently, as is the Saints’ Roost Museum. A directory of Chamber member businesses and organizations is also published in the Guide.

“I think this is one of the greatest things we’ve done,” Chamber Manager Bonnie Campbell said. “It is a great way to get information to people about what we have here and the things there are to do in Clarendon. We’ve never had anything like this that we could put in people’s hands.”

The Enterprise and the Chamber initially planned to print 2,500 copies of the guide, but that press run was increased to 3,500 as anticipation and excitement for the Guide became evident.

The Welcome Guide will be updated and published twice each year. This first edition, which is included in this week’s Enterprise, is considered the Fall/Winter Welcome Guide. A Spring/Summer edition will be published at the end of February.

Chamber and Enterprise personnel have distributed the guide at the Texas Travel Information Center in Amarillo as well as hotels, restaurants, convenience stores, and other select outlets in Clarendon and Donley County. The Welcome Guide is also available in the Clarendon Visitor Center at Mulkey Theatre and will be included in bags the Chamber prepares for visitors throughout the year.

A digital edition of the Welcome Guide is also available on the Chamber website..

Businesses and organizations who did not get a chance to advertise in the Fall/Winter Guide may reserve space now for the Spring/Summer Guide by calling Tara Allred at the Enterprise, 874-2259. Chamber members receive a 20 percent discount on ad rates in the Guide. To join the Chamber of Commerce, call Bonnie Campbell at 874-2421.

 

A cookoff with a different flavor will be part of the line up at the annual Clarendon Arts Festival on October 24 this year.

Officials with Les Beaux Arts Club invites everyone to participate in their first Mac & Cheese Cookoff from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Donley County Activity Center.

The cookoff will be fun for all ages, and all funds go towards the production of Clarendon Arts Festival.

Members of the public will be given voting tokens to vote for their favorite Mac & Cheese. The People’s Choice Award will be given to the cook that receives the most votes.

Sample Cups will be sold at the door (five for $5) for the public tasting, starting at 11:00 a.m. and concluding at 3:00 p.m.

The entry fee is $25, and the deadline to enter is October 19 at noon. Registration is available by entry form or online at www.clarendonedc.org or check out their Facebook page at Clarendon Arts Festival. For additional information, call 806-654-2993.

 

Five illegal aliens were captured after they fled from a routine traffic stop in Donley County this past weekend.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said a Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper attempted to pull a vehicle on US 287 west of Clarendon over late Saturday, but the vehicle fled north on County Road 8.

At the end of the county road, the driver and an undetermined number of occupants exited the vehicle and ran. Local law enforcement, a DPS helicopter, and search dogs from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice were brought in to search for the men.

The dogs caught four subjects north of the end of County Road 7 later that night about half a mile north of the Jiggs Mann residence.

Authorities then determined there were five subjects, one of whom was still on the loose. The search dogs stayed on his trail for about 1½ miles. The fifth subject was captured the next day after noon. Blackburn said the man had walked across rough country to Boydston Road near Interstate 40.

All five men were in the United States illegally from Honduras. Four were turned over to the US Border Patrol, and one, the driver, was charged with a felony for Evading in a Vehicle and a Class B misdemeanor for having fictitious license plates.

Jesus Serrano-Perez, age 35, remained in the Donley County Jail Tuesday morning awaiting arraignment. The man has a criminal history in this country.

Assisting in the manhunt were the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the Donley County Constable, and the DPS.

 

The Old West will come to life this weekend at the Saints’ Roost Museum during the 21st annual

Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff this Saturday, September 26.

Fourteen wagons are scheduled to compete for top prizes, and other activities include a photo exhibit entitled, “After Barbed Wire: Cowboys of our Time” by photographer Kurt Markus.

The photo exhibit will remain at the museum through October and is on loan from the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

“Michael Grauer, Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs/Curator of Art and Western Heritage, was instrumental in helping us secure this collection of 21 photographs,” said Saints Roost Museum board member Jan Campbell. “The photographs depict both formal portraits and shots of cowboys engaged in normal everyday ranch activities in settings such as Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas.”

The wagon teams will arrive Friday to host area students for a day of learning about the chuckwagon and cooking the cowboy-way over an open fire. Friday afternoon will also include the junior cookoff, which pairs kids, ages 8-17, with mentors on participating wagon teams to learn the ropes of cooking over an open fire.

The big day for the cookoff will be Saturday when the wagons square off to battle for top prizes. The tradeshow starts at 10 a.m., and museum tours will be available throughout the day. Local and area entertainers will also be performing.

The authentic wagons will serve at 1 p.m. with the traditional chicken fried steak dinner, and other activities will include a hay auction and the Goodnight family reunion.

Admission is free. Tickets for the Chuckwagon meal are $15 each and can be purchased in advance by calling (806)874-2746.