Roger Estlack

Clarendon’s 146th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration was a big success with several new events this year and weather that was almost picture perfect on Saturday, July 2, at the Donley County Courthouse.

After triple digit heat earlier in the week, temperatures began dropping Friday, and the area was blessed with a good rain Friday afternoon and evening with some precipitation falling even early Saturday morning.

Celebration organizers were undeterred, forging ahead with setting up in wet conditions but were rewarded when the sun came out.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce introduced two major new events this year in addition to Herring Bank Parade and the Liberty Electric Kids Parade the Chamber has organized for many years. The Diversified Waste Lawnmower Race was held following lunch, and the Best of Donley County Blue Ribbon Exhibition was also added to the celebration. The Chamber also had fun games set up at its booth on the square. The results of the Chamber events are listed in a separate article here.

The Al Morrah Shrine Club served about 500 plates of barbecue this year. A portion of the proceeds from the annual barbecue are used in conjunction with the Khiva Shrine Temple in Amarillo to help pay for the transportation of kids to the Shriners’ burns and crippled children’s hospitals.

The Donley County Junior Livestock Association raffled off a gun, and Rhett Renner won it.

The Clarendon Lions Club’s Cow Patty Bingo was won by Pam Phillips, Katy Tubbs, Terri Floyd, and Linda Crump.

Henson’s annual Turtle Race was also held Saturday afternoon in its traditional location at Third and Kearney. A total of 169 entries competed in four different age divisions. Winning turtle jockeys this year were: age 0-4, Mac Wann; age 5-8, Cutter Ashbrook; age 9-16, Jace Conway; and 17 and up, Riley Shadle.

The annual Depression Lunch was held Friday at the Crossties Ministry Center.

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association hosted its ranch rodeos on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, and those results are also listed in a separate article here.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce expanded this year’s Saints’ Roost Celebration, adding new events while still organizing the traditional parades.

Diversified Waste sponsored a Lawnmower Barrel Race, and a Best of Donley County Blue Ribbon Exhibition showcased outstanding cooks and quilters.

The theme for both parades was “Adventure Awaits” with entries focused on modes of travel, destinations, and types of vacations.

The Liberty Electric Kids Parade started things off Saturday morning with a more traditional “parade” of kids instead of a mass of kids to give the judges a better view of the entrants in three age categories plus a motorized division.

Winners were as follows: Motorized – first place Ashlynn White and Paisley Jones, second place Daegan Hall, and third place Oakleigh Douglass; Ages 0-3 – first place and Best of Show Dawson Hall, second place Madi Herndon, and third place Astrid Jaramillo; Ages 4-8: first place Zaylee and Asher Jaramillo, second place Kendall Danner, and third place Shaylee Hall; and Ages 9 and Up: first place Chloe Newton, second place Journee Morris, and third place Jay Scott.

In the Herring Bank Parade, the Lady Bronco Basketball Team won the first place Float, Summer Towing had the best car/truck entry, best Animal entry was the Behind the Chutes Cowboy Church, and the Tri-State Spyder Riders had the best other entry.

In the Diversified Waste Lawnmower Barrel Race, contestants drove a riding mower through an obstacle course, which included using a grabber to place a tennis ball on a traffic cone in multiple locations.  Michael DeWeese was the champion with a time of 1:05, and second place was Nancy Kidd with a time of 1:14.

The Best of Donley County Blue Ribbon Exhibition had 56 entries among all the categories. Winners were:

Jellies: Class 10 Plum – first Place Butch Brown; Class 13 Other – first Place Dottie Newkirk, second Place Katie Dowdy, third Place Butch Brown; Class 2 BlackBerry – first Place Abby Lenz; and Class 9 Peach – first Place Charlene Brown. Best Overall Jelly was shown by Dottie Newkirk.

Jams: Class 1 Blackberry – first Place Katie Dowdy; Class 3 Cherry – first Place Amanda Askew; Class 5 Peach – first Place Abby Lenz; Class 7 Strawberry – first Place Charlene Brown; and Class 9 Other – first Place Frances Tillery, second Place Karen Shrader. The Best Overall Jam belonged to Abby Lenz.

Baked Goods: Class 1 Cakes – first Place Suzanna Hallmark, second Place Amanda Robertson, and third Place Amanda Robertson; Class 10 Sweet Bread – first Place Charlene Brown, second Place Suzanna Hallmark, third place Karen Shrader; Class 13 Candy – first place Martha Smith; Class 2 No Bake Pie – first place Amanda Robertson; Class 3 Baked Pie – first Place Amanda Robertson, second Place Amanda Robertson, third Place Shonda Martin; Class 4 Cookie – first Place Paula Goodpasture, second Place Martha Smith; Class 5 Brownie – first Place Karen Shrader; and Class 8 Pudding/Trifle – first Place Amanda Robertson. The Best Overall Bread was shown by Charlene Brown; and the Best Overall Baked Good was shown by Amanda Robertson.

Quilts: Class 10 Mixed Technique – first Dottie Newkirk, second Frances Tillery, and third Angela Blais; Class 13  Wall Hanging – first and second Frances Tillery, and third Dottie Newkirk; Class 14 Other – first Frances Tillery, second Kassie Askew, and third Sharlene Bordonaro; Class 1 Antique – first place and Best Overall Handmade Frances Tillery; Class 2 Baby Quilt – first Abby Lenz; Class 4 Embroidered Quilt – first Frances Tillery; Class 5 Quilt From Kit – first Amanda Askew; Class 8 Machine Quilted from Applique – first Frances Tillery; Class 9 Machine Pieced / Machine Quilted – first and Best Overall Machine Quilted Frances Tillery, second Jamie Simmons Mehlhaff, and third Dottie Newkirk.

Chamber officials appreciate everyone who participated in these events and are already discussing ways to improve those activities next year.