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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.

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.

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.

National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator & Under Secretary for Nuclear Security Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty and US Representative Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) were on hand August 21 for celebrated milestones at Pantex, including the NNSA’s 20th anniversary.

The NNSA is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science.

“In June you completed the W88 Alt 370 First Production Capability Unit (FPCU) disassembly and inspection, which will be analyzed and incorporated prior to the start of the First Production Unit,” said Gordon-Hagerty.

“Similarly, the B61-12 Life Extension Program’s FPCU is targeted for this month. This L-E-P will improve the weapon’s safety, effectiveness, and security, and extend its service life by at least 20 years.”

Gordon-Hagerty noted that in 1999, Congressman Thornberry introduced a bill that served as the foundation for the NNSA Act that was signed into law later that year, along with his presence at the creation when Congress established the NNSA. He thanked her for her leadership and the Pantex workforce for their efforts.

“I appreciate the leadership at Pantex, both the DOE and CNS. And the fact that we are able to celebrate these milestones today…is a credit first and foremost to the workforce at Pantex, and to the leadership at Pantex.”

During the visit, Thornberry received the Administrator’s Distinguished Service Gold Award. It recognizes consistent outstanding leadership and sustained achievements. The Distinguished Service Gold Award is the highest honorary award granted by NNSA.

“That’s my job is to help do their job. Because what they do here at Pantex is foundational to the national security of the United States,” Thornberry said. “It’s so important.”

Gordon-Hagerty acknowledged the efforts being made at Pantex, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“For two decades now, every one of the 50,000 men and women of our workforce – to include the more than 3,000 employees here at Pantex – is making a vital contribution to our national security mission,” she said. “Although it goes without saying that these are not ‘normal’ times, the current environment and your response demonstrate why we as the NNSA and our nation are so very strong.”

While on site, the dignitaries also toured a new athletic track constructed by the Office of Secure Transportation and acknowledged Pantex emergency personnel who are credited with saving lives of victims at accident sites outside of Pantex.