Roger Estlack

Supporters of the Mulkey Theatre are being offered a new naming opportunity now that final bids have been approved to finish the rehabilitation project.

Through the “Take Your Seat” campaign, a $100 will be used to purchase a theatre seat and inscribe a seat plaque with the donor’s name, that of a loved one or of a company name. Future theater patrons who share that seat in the years to come will see the inscribed name as they enjoy a movie or performance.

In addition to a beautiful, permanent nameplate on a seat, donors will also receive a certificate listing the seat number and location and priority access to ticket sales to the Opening Gala and live performances during the theater’s first year of operation one-week before tickets go on sale to the general public.

A total of 204 seats are available for naming on the main floor of the Mulkey on a first-come, first-served basis. Money for five seats has already been turned in since the opportunity was first announced last week. Donors who come by the Clarendon Visitor Center can select the location of the seat based on availability.

Donations to the Mulkey Theatre through the Clarendon Community Fund, an affiliate fund of the Amarillo Area Foundation, are tax deductible under 501(c)3 regulations of the Internal Revenue Service.

For more information, contact Bob Weiss at the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.

The mayors of Clarendon and Hedley have signed proclamations declaring November 27 as “Giving Tuesday” as part of an effort to raise awareness about the national campaign.

The proclamations by Hedley Mayor Carrie Butler and Clarendon Mayor Sandy Skelton encourage citizens of both cities to give back to their communities in ways that are personally meaningful, and one countywide organization offers the opportunities to make donations go even further during this time.

The Donley County Community Fund (DCCF) is participating in The Panhandle Gives campaign for nine days from November 19 through November 27. All funds raised locally during this time will be matched through the Amarillo Area Foundation.

DCCF board members are reaching out to county-wide residents asking for donations.

“Participating in this campaign is an opportunity for our local fund balance to grow,” Jacob Fangman, local DCCF chair, said.

In the last two years, the DCCF has awarded $3,000 in grants to local non-profits in Hedley and Clarendon while growing its fund balance to more than $17,000. Applications for this year’s grant cycle are being accepted through November 16. Applications are available at the Clarendon Visitor Center or from Fangman at Herring Bank.

GivingTuesday is a national event held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday giving season to inspire people to take collaborative action to give back to their local communities and the causes they support.

Contributions can be mailed to Donley County Community Fund, c/o Jacob Fangman, Box 906, Clarendon, TX 79226. Checks should be made out to The Panhandle Gives, with “Donley CCF” written on the memo line.

Donley County voters re-elected County Clerk Fay Vargas during last week’s General Election, keeping the county’s only Democratic office holder by a margin of 717 to 553 over her Republican challenger Bobby Woodard.

Early voting was very high with 801 people casting ballots before election day. That’s the highest early turnout since 2013 when more than 700 people voted early on the alcohol question.

Vargas was the favorite of early voters, with 458 votes to Woodard’s 332. On election day, she was the leading choice in three of six balloting boxes, and it was Precincts 2 and 4 that propelled her to victory.

Box 101 voters at the Bairfield Activity Center voted for Vargas 25-12, Box 102 voters in Howardwick preferred Woodard 51-26, and Box 201 voters at the Courthouse were for Vargas 81-45. Voters at Box 301 at the Assembly of God were almost evenly split, choosing Woodard, 20-19. Box 303 voters in Hedley also favored Woodard, 56-37; but Vargas showed strength at Box 401 at the Family Life Center where voters chose her, 71-37.

A total of 1,293 people voted in Donley County in the 2018 election, a turnout of 57.8 percent.

Local voters selected Republicans for every other office on the ballot by wide margins. Clarendon’s Mac Thornberry, for example, received 1,134 votes in his Congressional re-election bid compared to 113 for Democrat Greg Sagan and 27 for Libertarian Calvin DeWeese.

Other local officials were re-elected without opposition County Judge John Howard (1,156), County Treasurer Wanda Smith (1,158), Precinct 2 Commissioner Daniel Ford (372), Precinct 4 Commissioner Dan Sawyer (220), and Precinct 1&2 Justice of the Peace Pamela Mason (676). Pat White also received 476 votes for Precinct 3&4 Justice of the Peace after defeating incumbent Denise Bertrand in the Republican Primary earlier this year.

Clarendon CISD is inviting all interested persons to attend an Active Shooter Training for the community presented by Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn next Tuesday evening. The event will be held at the Clarendon High School Auditorium Tuesday, November 13, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.

The re-opening of the Mulkey Theatre is coming soon after the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation approved bids totaling about $325,000 to finish the project Monday night, November 5,.

CEDC officials accepted bids on seating, projection and sound systems, stage lighting, and other work necessary to make the 1946 theatre fully functional again.

CEDC President Robert Riza said he is excited about completion of the Mulkey and also said he is honored to be part of the group that will see it finished.

“I think this will be an excellent draw to our downtown area and really be something the citizens of Clarendon and Donley County can be very proud of,” Dr. Riza said.

The finished theatre will have a seating capacity of 240, including 36 recliner chairs in the balcony. In addition to cinematic productions, the Mulkey will be a multipurpose facility that is able to accommodate small live performances and plays, public meetings and conferences, catered dinners, and parties, other functions.

CEDC board member Terri Floyd was also excited about Monday’s action.

“We’ve been working on this for a long time, and now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Floyd said. “This is going to be a huge benefit to our community for many years to come.”

The “Bring Back the Mulkey” project began when the CEDC purchased the building in 2008. Work began that year with a new roof being put on the building and has continued in phases since that time.

An exact date for the re-opening has not been set at this time, pending scheduling among contractors. In the meantime, the CEDC is offering folks a chance to have their names permanently installed in the theatre by sponsoring auditorium seats. For $100 Mulkey supporters can have their name or the name of a friend or loved one affixed to a seat on the main floor of the theatre.

Chamber of Commerce Manager Bob Weiss has taken an active role in getting the Mulkey finished and shares the CEDC board’s excitement to get the final work started.

“Hooray! We’re going to be able to watch movies soon!” Weiss said. “It’s so nice after working so long to see the project come to fruition. Everybody should come on down and buy a seat.”

To sponsor a seat or seats, stop by the Clarendon Visitor Center at the Mulkey or send your check or money order to Clarendon Community Fund, PO Box 906, Clarendon, TX 79226, with “Mulkey Seats” in the memo.