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NewsChannel Ten’s Summer Celebration rolled into Clarendon Monday afternoon with a large crowd gathering on the Courthosue Square for several fun activities.

A Donley County Sheriff’s Department escort led the news team in a short parade from College Hill down Third Street to the Courthouse where multiple vendors were set up.

NewsChannel Ten did their evening newscasts in front of the Courthouse with cheering local students and fans in the background. Several stories on the local community were featured during the evening, ranging from downtown revitalization to the Lady Bronco basketball team to an interview with Kenneth King. All those and more can be viewed at newschannel10.com/community/summer-celebration.

Local muscians performed from the steps of the Courthouse during times when the news crew was not broadcasting live, and several local organizations and busiensses held fundraisers during the event.

Following the broadcast, the Sandell Drive-In provided a free screening of the new Garfield movie.

This was the third time Clarendon has been featured during NewsChannel Ten’s Summer Celebration with the most recent being in 2018.

 

A dominant display by Clarendon College saw the 2024 ICMJ National Championship go to the team from Texas last week with the University of Queensland coming in second place.

The winning team, made up of Libby Modisette, Scott Phillips, Lydia Sharp and Jace Hall finished 26 points ahead of UQ.
Clarendon’s Libby Modisette also took out the title of Champion Individual with a score of 1089, just four points ahead of UQ’s Jade Wilkinson.

CC took out four of the six competition categories including pork judging, beef judging, and commercial evaluation.

The Japan National team also took home some ribbons, winning the Overall Questions category, with Hokkaido University student Momo Sato achieving the highest individual score in the lamb judging competition.

ICMJ President Dr Peter McGilchrist said having such talented and dedicated international teams participating in the Australian ICMJ National Conference and Competition reflected how well-respected the event is internationally.

“We’re very honoured to welcome international teams like Clarendon College and the Japan National team and it’s very impressive to see how well they performed in the Australian environment,” Dr McGilchrist said.

“All of the competitors put in such an outstanding effort across the competition and it’s been a fantastic end to the ICMJ National Conference.”

The top 16 individuals in the competition were narrowed down to a team of 11 who will go on to another ICMJ event later this year where they’ll take part in further professional development opportunities and industry tours.

They’ll be joined by a second group of students selected for their leadership skills, dedication, and their potential to have a positive impact on the red meat industry.

From that larger group, five students will be chosen in the Australian ICMJ team to tour the United States in January next year and compete on the US meat judging circuit at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.

The ICMJ National Conference is hosted annually by Charles Sturt University and Teys Australia in Wagga Wagga.

The Circle M8 team took top honors at the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association’s annual Ranch Rodeo last Friday and Saturday during the 147th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration.

Circle M8’s scores beat out 19 other local and regional ranch rodeo teams as working cowboys put their skills to the test. The team was made up of Phillip Reynolds, Rye Reynolds, Chance Holcombe, and Jayde Smith.

The Bar R Horses team finished second with Phillip Reynolds, Rye Reynolds, Chance Holcombe, Wesley Gudgell, and Levi Molesworth; and the Crockett Cattle team was third with Ben Crockett, Wes McKee, Kater Tate, Cutter Hermesmeyer, and Cooper McClesky.

The Top Hand for the rodeo was awarded to Jake Baca, and the Top Horse award was won by Quincy Carlton.
This year’s attendance for the three-day junior rodeo and ranch rodeo was 1,390, up from a count of 1,225 people who attended in 2023.

CCC Remuda won the Junior Ranch Rodeo with a team comprised of Chance Anderson, Reece Myers, Kelby Brownlee, Colt Mason, and Rhyder Rosipal.

The second place team was Sand Creek Ranch with Rankin Proffitt, J.W. Coffee, Rhyder Rosipal, Coyt Patterson, and Tad Evans. Third place in the junior rodeo went to C3 Cattle and the team of Chance Anderson, Rankin Proffitt, Kelby Brownlee, Colt Mason, and Rhyder Rosipal.

Top Hand winner for the Junior Ranch Rodeo was Rankin Proffitt, and Colt Mason rode the Top Horse.

Junior Calf, Donkey, and Steer Riding and Mutton Bustin’ were held all three nights. Overall, Mutton Bustin’ champion for the three nights was Beckett Hill. Overall Calf Riding Champion was Stetson Duncan, the Overall Donkey Rider was Colton Henson, and Steer Riding champion was Christopher Cary.

Nightly winners of the junior events were as follows:
July 4 – Calf Scramble – Laney Shelton, Lane Hardin, and Piper Hopkine; Mutton Bustin’ – Bex Bischel; Calf Riding – Rance Peters, Donkey Riding – Colton Henson; and Steer Riding – Briggs Martin.

July 5 – Calf Scramble – Bennett Chesser, Jacob Mallerd, and Bo Davis; Mutton Bustin’ – Beckett Hill; Calf Riding – Rance Peters; Donkey Riding – Luke Hardin; and Steer Riding – Ian Weatherread.

July 6 – Calf Scramble – Teagan Chesser, Ainslie Lewis, Lilly King, and Alec Homer; Mutton Bustin’ – Brecken Coon and Payton Edwards; Calf Riding – Stetson Duncan; Donkey Riding – Briggs Martin, Colton Henson, and Luke Hardin; and Steer Riding – Christopher Cary.

A Clarendon pioneer was honored with a Texas Historical Marker in Amarillo recently to commemorate his last impact on the history of the Texas Panhandle.

The late Mathew “Bones” Hooks was honored on Juneteenth with the unveiling of the marker in the Amarillo park that bears his name.

Hooks was born in Robertson County in 1857 and started working as a cowboy at the age of seven. He developed a skill at taming wild horses. He moved to Clarendon in 1886 and was instrumental in leading the organization of St. Stephen’s Baptist Church here in 1894 to minister to local African Americans. It was the first black church in the Panhandle.

Hooks began a personal tradition of giving white flowers to people that started with a funeral for a cowboy friend. He later expanded his signature white flower gifts to living people for their achievements or good deeds. It is estimated that he gave about 500 white flowers during his lifetime.

In 1900, Hooks and his wife, Anna, moved to Amarillo and worked for the Santa Fe railroad. There he helped establish the North Heights community for Amarillo’s black residents, led efforts to develop a park there (today’s Bones Hooks Park), a black school, and black community center. He also developed a social club for boys and fought for equal access to medical care for black citizens in Amarillo.

Hooks died in 1951, but his legacy lives on. During the celebration on June 19, those in attendance were presented with white flowers by Keith Grays, courtesy of In This Moment Events Center.