Court of Owls
Clarendon Lions celebrate 98th anniversary
The Clarendon Lions Club held its 98th anniversary Charter Banquet last Saturday night, October 3, and presented awards during the evening as the culmination of Lions Day in the city.
Boss Lion Landon Lambert presented Lion Scarlet Estlack with the Past President’s Award, and Lion John Howard was recognized as the Lion of the Year for his service to the community as its doctor and county judge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aubrey Jaramillo was formally crowned as the club’s Sweetheart for the current year.
District Governor Henry Wyckoff spoke about the plans for growth in Lionism in the Texas Panhandle and also recognized Lion Ashlee Estlack for ten years of service and Lion Chuck Robertson for 15 years of service.
The Boss Lion announced a new membership drive as the club gets ready for its centennial celebration in 2022. Lambert said he wants to see the club attract 22 new members by 2022.
Those attending this year’s banquet were DG Wyckoff, First Vice District Governor Jerry Whatley and his partner in service Lion Cheryl Whatley, Second Vice District Governor Roger Estlack and his partner in service Lion Ashlee Estlack and their children Benjamin and Elaina, Boss Lion Landon Lambert, Lion Scarlet Estlack and Lion Russell Estlack and their sons Nathan and Daniel, Lion Chuck Robertson and wife Amanda, Lion Jacob Fangman, Lion John Howard, Lion Pam Hill and guest Robert Wallace, Sweetheart Aubrey Jaramillo with Mandy Jaramillo and Grady Garrett, and Lion Donnie Carroll, Boss Lion of the Memphis Lions Club.
Earlier in the day Saturday, more than 30 Lions from all over the Panhandle assembled at the Mulkey Theatre for the District 2-T1 fall cabinet meeting. The meeting began with donuts and coffee at 8:30 and concluded with a luncheon. Mayor Sandy Skelton welcomed the Lions and read a proclamation declaring October 3 as Lions International Centennial Celebration Day in Clarendon.
Following the cabinet meeting, the Clarendon Lions Club held its eighth annual Chance Mark Jones 5K Roar & Run.
Word wins Lions Club annual 5k
Brittney Word and Steven McDaniel were the top women’s and men’s finishers of the eighth annual Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K last Saturday, October 3, at the Clarendon Aquatic Center.
Word of Clarendon, age 34, was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 28:01, giving her the best overall time, the best woman’s time, and best time for those ages 30-39.
McDaniel of , age 65, ran the race in 30 minutes, 11 seconds, finishing before all other men and placing first in the 60-69 age group.
The race sponsored by the Clarendon Lions Club to raise awareness of child abuse, drew 65 registrations, and about 30 people actually ran or walked the 5K the day of the event, which was also attended by several spectators, supporters, and workers.
The annual Roar & Run 5K honors the life of four-year-old Chance Mark Jones, who died in 2011.
Complete results of this year’s race are as follows: Top Women’s Time – Brittney Word, 28:01; Top Men’s Time – Steven McDaniel, 30:11; 10 and under – 1st Kutter O’Keefe, 2nd Matthew Newhouse, and 3rd Joshua Jones; Ages 11-19 – 1st Nathan Estlack, 2nd Caleb Jones, 3rd Natalie Jones; Ages 20-29 – 1st Caitlyn Burrow 52:04, 2nd Kirk Haley, and 3rd Shelby O’Keefe; Ages 30-39 – 1st Word 28:01, 2nd Kevin Cox 33:04, 3rd Heather Hill 45:19; Ages 40-49 – 1st Andrew Brown 32:05, 2nd Scarlet Estlack 45:55, 3rd Catrina Leeper 52:04; Ages 50-59 – 1st Christie Benson, 2nd Sylvia Zarontz, and 3rd Robin McGonigal; Ages 60-69 – 1st McDaniel 30:11, 2nd Martha Smith 44:28, and 3rd Doug Kidd 45:00.
Proceeds from this year’s Chance Mark Jones Roar ‘N Run will help support the annual charitable activities of the Clarendon Lions Club, including eyeglasses for local school kids, Christmas food baskets for local families, scholarships, and hosting the area office of The Bridge – Children’s Advocacy Center.
COVID case count climbs past 70
Donley County’s confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 71 this week, according to local officials.
The Clarendon Family Medical Center has had 49 positive cases since the pandemic began with six more tests currently pending. The clinic reports 227 tests have now come back negative for the virus.
Donley County Judge John Howard, MD, says the overall county figure is 71 positives with eight cases under active treatment.
Howard said he wouldn’t call the new cases a surge but did say that the county is seeing a “continued emergence of new cases” and said college students who test positive for the disease are being isolated in a separate dormitory.
“It’s not alarming at this point,” Howard said. “The disease will continue to spread in our state and region.”
Jones 5k to be part of ‘Lions Day’ October 3
Clarendon will observe Lions Day this Saturday, October 3, with a gathering of district Lions Clubs and the eighth annual Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K.
Clarendon Mayor Sandy Skelton has proclaimed October 3 to be Lions International Centennial Celebration Day in the city, in observance of the more than 100 years that the organization has provided service to communities around the globe and of the local club’s service since 1922.
The day will start with the Lions District 2-T1 fall cabinet meeting at the Mulkey Theatre with donuts and coffee at 8:30, a business meeting, and lunch at noon.
Afterwards, runners and walkers will gather at the Clarendon Aquatic Center to raise awareness about child abuse during the Chance Mark Jones Roar & Run 5K.
This year’s 5K has 65 registered participants, although many of those have chosen the “sleep in” or “sit it out” options as opposed to traversing the 3.1 miles of the route.
Sign-ins start at 1 p.m. at the new aquatic center at Fourth and Kearney. The race will start from that point at 1:30 p.m. and commence south on Kearney Street to Prospect Park – the site of the Chance Mark Jones Memorial Playground – then west on Seventh Street with runners making their way by the college, the First Baptist Church, the public school, several historic homes, the First United Methodist Church, and the Donley County Courthouse before ending just past the aquatic center at the bridge at Fifth and Kearney.
Race packets will be available for pick-up all day this Friday, October 2, at the Clarendon Visitor Center.
Proceeds from the race will benefit the charitable community activities of the Clarendon Lions Club. The race honors the life of four-year-old Chance Mark Jones, who died from abuse in 2011. For more information about this weekend’s Chance Mark Jones Memorial 5K, contact Lion Ashlee Estlack at 806-662-4687 or Lion Roger Estlack at 874-2259.
To close out Lions Day, the Clarendon Lions Club will hold its 98th annual Charter Banquet at 6 p.m. in the Lions Hall, recognizing service milestones for individual Lions and presenting the Lion of the Year Award.
City council contracts trash service
The City of Clarendon is out of the trash collection business following last week’s city council meeting at which Diversified Waste Management of Amarillo was given a five-year franchise for those services.
With one motion September 24, the council approved a series of agreements with Diversified that was the culmination of months of negotiations between the company and City Hall.
Mayor Sandy Skelton said only one citizen had complained about the proposed deal at a city council meeting since The Clarendon Enterprise first reported the details of the negotiations with Diversified on July 30, and he said it had been a pleasure working with Brandon Brown on behalf of the company.
Brown, who has a weekend home near Brice, said he looks forward to becoming more involved with Clarendon.
“I want to thank the city for the time spent on this agreement,” Brown said. “I really would like to become part of the community. This is home for me. It’s my backyard. We will go above and beyond with service and community involvement.”
In the deal which took effect this week, Diversified Waste agreed to purchase all of the city’s sanitation vehicles and equipment as well as the city’s Dumpsters. The company will retain all the city’s sanitation workers, other than sanitation director Joe Shadle, who is retiring; and Diversified will provide the service at a rate equal to or lower than what the city is currently paying. Diversified will also continue to service several grass and leaf Dumpsters that are also located around town.
Brown again said last week that he felt like the local employees were incredible assets and that he hopes to let them be models for how employees are expected to be in his company.
The agreement also outlines how Diversified might lower or raise sanitation rates based on the cost of diesel if it exceeds $3.25 per gallon or drops below $1.65 per gallon.
“I know everyone fears price increases, and I’ll let my actions speak for themselves,” he said and drew attention to the service he provides in Claude, where he says rates have not gone up in three years.
In addition to providing sanitation services to the city and several accounts in rural Donley County, Diversified also will lease the city’s facilities on Front Street to base his sanitation service locally and use that potentially as a hub to service other nearby cities or accounts.
Billing for sanitation service will still go through the city, and the city will be the point of contact for residents who have questions or concerns about their trash service. To pay for that service, the city will receive a portion of Diversified’s fee.
In other city business last week, the council declared five more properties and public nuisances; approved the annual budgets of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation as the hotel occupancy funded budget of the Chamber of Commerce; and approved the annual contract for services with the Donley County Appraisal District to assess and collect property taxes.
Grant applications now being taken
The Donley County Community Fund is now accepting applications from qualified non-profit organizations for a $1,000 grant to be awarded this fall.
Those eligible to apply for the grants include local governments, non-profit organizations holding a 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service, and other qualifying non-profits or civic organizations. All grant applicants must be from Donley County.
Grant applications must be received by Friday, October 30, at 5 p.m., and the grant recipient will be announced in November.
To receive a grant application and determine your organization’s eligibility to apply, contact Jacob Fangman at 874-3556 or Roger Estlack at 874-2259. Applications are available from Fangman at Herring Bank or at the Clarendon Visitor Center.
The Donley County Community Fund is an affiliate fund of the Amarillo Area Foundation (AAF) with the focus of building an Endowed Legacy for the entire county for the benefit of future generations.
Crosstimber team wins 26th cookoff
The Crosstimber Ranch team from Mustang, Okla., was the overall champion of the 26th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday, September 26, at the Saints’ Roost Museum.
Fifteen wagons prepared food for the event, which served more than 615 people. Crosstimber placed in three out of five food judging categories and placed first in Overall Cooking and second in Wagon & Camp to take home the custom cutting board designed by Clarendon artist Jack Craft.
The 13th annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew six contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. Henry Bivens from Clarendon won first place and was teamed with the Crosstimber Ranch wagon.
Kaston Snyder of Amarillo was second, working with the Lazy M Cookers of Lamar, Colo.; and Jaythan Green of Clarendon was third and worked with the Camp Cookie team from Germantown, Tennessee.
Other junior participants included Haughton Bivens and Haylin Bivens, both of Clarendon, Blake Boedecker of Canyon, and Gus Boedecker of Lockney. The respectively were teamed up with the Double Nickle Wagon of Amarillo, The Honey-Do Spoiler wagon of Pampa, the Cocklebur Camp wagon of Odessa, and the Robertson Chuckwagon of Granbury. The Junior Cookoff is sponsored each year by the American Chuckwagon Association.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no dinner with the cooks for Museum members this year following the Junior Cookoff.
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.
Competing wagons served a menu of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, beans, and cobbler. Wagons came from as far as Tennessee and Colorado to attend this year’s cookoff.
Prizes totaling $3,250 were paid out to the winners. Complete results were:
Overall Wagon & Cooking: 1) Crosstimber Ranch.
Overall Cooking: 1) Crosstimber., 2) C Bar C of Hartley, 3) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo, and 4) Lazy M Cookers of Lamar, Colo.
Best Wagon & Camp: 1) J Bar D, 2) Crosstimber, 3) Robertson Chuckwagon of Granbury, and 4) C Bar C.
Best Meat: 1) J Bar D, 2) J3 Wagon of Stinnett, 3) Robertson, and 4) C Bar C.
Best Beans: 1) Crosstimber, 2) Camp Cookie, 3) C Bar C, and 4) J3.
Best Potatoes: 1) Crosstimber, 2) Lazy M, 3) C Bar C, and 4) Honey-Do Spoiler.
Best Bread: 1) Lazy M, 2) Crosstimber, 3) C Bar C, and 4) Teepee Creek wagon team of Matador.
Best Dessert: 1) J Bar D, 2) C Bar C, 3) Robertson, and 4) Palo Duro Cowboy Church of Canyon.
Big Daddy Weave to perform live at Sandell Drive-In
Christian band Big Daddy Weave will perform live on stage at Clarendon’s Sandell Drive-In Theatre next Friday, October 9, as the 2020 music series continues here.
Casting Crowns set the drive-in’s attendance record in July, and Sandell owner John Morrow says tickets are already selling fast for next week’s concert.
The Big Daddy Weave concert will also feature Grammy-winner Zach Williams in the latest of the critically acclaimed Drive-In Theater Tour series, produced by Awakening Events. Tickets are available at driveintheatertour.com.
“It has been truly amazing to see the impact of these drive-in theater concerts. Fans and theater owners alike have all told us how much this was needed in their communities, and how much they appreciate us being there, providing this message of hope through music,” said Dan Fife, Founder and President of Awakening Events.
Known for honest songs that tell personal stories of freedom in Christ, Big Daddy Weave fans have long admired the band for their particular brand of real-life, real-person openness. With songs like “My Story,” “The Lion and the Lamb,” “Overwhelmed,”
“I Know,” and “Redeemed,” Big Daddy Weave has cemented its status as one of the most beloved bands in Christian music. Millions have taken their anthems of Jesus’s chainbreaking love as their own and sung along to songs about the radical act of redemption.
But while creating their latest album, When the Light Comes, the men of Big Daddy Weave, Mike Weaver (lead vocals, guitar), Jay Weaver (bass, vocals), Jeremy Redmon (guitar, vocals), Joe Shirk (saxophone, keys, vocals) and Brian Beihl (drums), found themselves working from a new and unfamiliar place. The inspirational themes and uplifting messages many find in the group’s music were desperately needed by the members themselves.
Tickets for the tour will again be sold by the car load at $100 per car. For more information, visit the Sandell’s Facebook page.
Smith finishes second in Greenbelt Gallop
CHS junior Madi Smith has been at the top all season and last week’s cross-country meet at Greenbelt Lake was no different.
Smith ran second in the race with a time of 15.20. Aliyah Weatherton was seventh at 17.04, Makenna Shadle was eighth at 17.11, Aubrey Jaramillo was 18th at 19.06, Finley Cunningham was 24th at 20.09, and Aleyah Weatherton was 25th with a time of 20.10.
Davin Mays ran for the Bronco team and finished in a time of 26.44 for the three-mile course in ninth place.
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