News

Pressure canning season is upon us and Donley County Extension will be hosting a clinic to have your canner gauge checked. Bring your pressure canner by the Donley County Activity Center on Wednesday, July 1st from 12 to 2:30 and they can check it our for you as well as offer canning tips for this years harvest.

Five new patients were tested for COVID-19 since last Tuesday by the Clarendon Family Medical Center, but as of the morning of June 16, there had been no new positive cases.

The clinic still has two tests pending, but the number of negative test results has risen to 93, while the positive cases still remains at 27. Twenty-five of the 27 local cases have been reported as being recovered. That leaves two cases presumably still active.

State officials this week were reporting 28 positives for Donley County, but that number is believed to be erroneous, according to the county judge’s office. No new case has been reported to county officials since June 3.

Clarendon is getting ready to host a glorious Independence Day as organizers of the 143rd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration are moving forward with the event.

Social distancing and other guidelines may make some of the celebration look somewhat different, but almost all of the traditional activities are on schedule for July 2, 3, and 4, and the Whistle-Stop Trade Days intends to be open July 4 and 5.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce meeting last Thursday was attended by representatives of the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association (COEA) and the Donley County Extension Service, where the consensus was to move forward as normal as possible. On Monday, the County Agent Leonard Haynes also met with representatives of the Al Morrah Shrine Club about plans for the barbecue.

Haynes then met Tuesday with County Judge John Howard, MD, and reviewed plans for the celebration. Haynes said the judge was satisfied with plans by the parties involved to follow as best as possible the safety guidelines for outdoor events that that have been set out by the state government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of those plans call for hand sanitizing stations to be placed at different points on the courthouse lawn and for craft fair vendors to be spaced out to allow for social distancing. Barbecue meals will be plated or boxed instead of having attendees go through a buffet line, and face masks are encouraged but not required.

COEA is moving forward with rodeo plans although a final decision will not be made until June 15. The organization already booked its rodeo teams last month and is largely ready to go. Dances will not be held following the rodeos this year.

The COEA Junior Rodeo tentatively will kick off the celebration Thursday, July 2, at 7:30 p.m. followed by the first night of the Ranch Rodeo on Friday, July 3, at the same time.

The big day will be Saturday, July 4, beginning with the Arts & Craft Fair on the square at 9 a.m. sponsored by the Donley County 4H. Booths must be reserved through the Donley County 4H by calling 806-874-2141.

The Chamber of Commerce’s Old Settlers Reunion and the Kids’ Bicycle & Tricycle Parade also begin at 9 a.m. The Kids’ Parade will line up and register at 8:30 at Keith Floyd’s shop at Third and Sully. Ed Montana will provide music and serve as master of ceremonies on the square.

Line up for the Herring Bank Parade will also start at 9 a.m. with the parade taking off at 10:00. The theme for this year’s parade is “Texas Strong – United We Stand,” and entry forms are available in this week’s Enterprise as well as at the Visitor Center. Entry forms are also available at ClarendonTX.com.

The Herring Bank Parade features $850 in cash prizes with $200 available for the best float, $100 for the best car or truck entry, $100 for the best animal or riding unit, $100 for the best tractor or farm equipment entry, and $100 for the best “other” entry. From those first place winners, judges will select a Grand Prize winner who will receive an additional $250.

Pre-registration is required for entrants to be judged for the prize money, and entry forms are due in the Visitor Center by 5 p.m. on July 1.
The Al Morrah Shrine Club barbecue will follow the parade at about 11 a.m. Tickets are $12 each and will be available at the Visitor Center and the Enterprise.

Parade winners will be announced at 1 p.m. The Henson’s Turtle Race will then take place at 1:30 p.m. And the Ranch Rodeo will close out the day at the COEA Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Also happening during the celebration weekend, the Whistle-Stop will have its monthly trade days Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Whistle-Stop features more than 100 vendors as well as live music, food, and fun for the entire family.

Other events will be added to the schedule as they are decided or announced. For more information about the celebration, contact the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421. A current schedule summary is as follows:

Thursday, July 2
7:30 p.m. – Junior Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena (tentative)

Friday, July 3
All Day – Merchants’ Sales
7:30 p.m. – Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena (tentative)

Saturday, July 4
9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Whistle-Stop Trade Days
9:00 a.m. – Craft Fair, Courthouse Square
9:00 a.m. – Kids’ Tricycle/Bicycle Parade
10:00 a.m. – Herring Bank Parade
11:00 a.m. – Shriners’ Barbecue, Courthouse Square
1:30 p.m. – Henson’s Turtle Races
7:30 p.m. – Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena (tentative)

Sunday, July 5
9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Whistle-Stop Trade Days

Donley County’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 27 last week.

County Judge John Howard, MD, reported to the Enterprise last Thursday that he had been notified by state officials that a local individual was tested positive in Pampa on May 23.

Twenty-five of the 27 local cases have now been reported as being recovered. That leaves two cases presumably still active.

The Clarendon Family Medical Center late last week had three tests pending, but as of Tuesday, one of those had been confirmed negative. That brings the total negative tests conducted locally to 88.

The Sandell Drive-In will open its 2020 season this Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13, with Twister and The Wizard of Oz showing as a double feature.

The Sandell has been making adjustments to their concession stand to safely serve customers during the COVID-19 situation.

More information about their new order and pick-up window is available on their Facebook page along with information about other upcoming big events.

Gates will open at 7:30 p.m. this weekend, and admission will be $8. Twister will show first on Friday and second on Saturday.

The District Court heard two pleas from one defendant when it met in Clarendon last Wednesday, June 3.

District Attorney Luke Inman, along with Assistant District Attorney Harley Caudle, prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas, with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.

Timothy Don Lockeby pleaded true and was convicted for the state jail felony offense of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Lockeby was sentenced to two years in the State Jail Division of TDCJ.

Lockeby, age 40 from Clarendon, was arrested by former Donley County Chief Deputy Randy Bond for the offense that took place on March 20, 2019. Lockeby pleaded to an information filed by the State on May 9, 2019.

The state filed its motion to adjudicate on May 6, alleging nine violations of community supervision. Lockeby pleaded true to the allegations.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Lockeby is also required to pay a $2,500 fine, $1,000 in restitution and $488 in court costs.

In a separate case, Lockeby pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years in the Institutional Division of TDCJ for the third degree felony offense of driving while intoxicated 3rd or more.

In this case, Lockeby was arrested in Donley County on April 26 by DPS Trooper Emily Ruhl. Lockeby pleaded guilty to an information filed by the State on May 28.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Lockeby is also required to pay $390 in court costs.

Bargain shoppers will be in for a treat during the 15th annual “Trash to Treasures” garage sale event that will be held in Clarendon and Howardwick this Saturday, June 6.

A total of 32 individual garage sales are scheduled to be held. A complete description of each sale is printed on the official Treasure Maps located on the last page of this week’s Clarendon Enterprise.

From furniture to antiques, this weekend’s sales will feature hundreds of treasures just waiting to be uncovered at bargain prices. Sales generally start at 8 a.m. and run throughout the day.

In addition to the many sales in both Clarendon and Howardwick, the Assembly of God will be serving concessions for lunch Saturday by Country Bloomers Flowers & Gifts.

“Trash to Treasures” is being promoted with advertising dollars in area communities thanks to the support of the official sales depicted on the maps. Any sales not depicted on the map have not contributed to the effort to promote this community event.

The schedule of the 143rd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration was still undetermined Tuesday morning as various event organizers had yet to make final decisions about the festivities that are on the calendar for July 2, 3, and 4 this year.

As the Enterprise was going to press this week, representatives of different organizations involved with the celebration were being contacted to attend this Thursday night’s regular meeting of the Chamber of Commerce board to try to make decisions about the celebration.

Concerns all around focus on requirements for social distancing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and how to pull off a large event without people crowding together.

The Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association board, which advertises the celebration and hosts the ranch rodeo, met Monday night with Donley County Judge John Howard, Sheriff Butch Blackburn, and Scoutmaster Russell Estlack. Discussions were held about safety measures required by the state that would need to be in place if the rodeo is to proceed.

Dances usually held after the ranch rodeos have definitely been canceled, but the fate of the rodeo itself was still up in the air with COEA President Alex McAnear saying his board voted Monday night to table any decisions until June 15 to see if Gov. Greg Abbott releases updated guidelines for events.

“This is a new deal to everybody,” McAnear told the Enterprise. “There’s not any way to control [the crowd] once everybody gets out there.”

Officials said under the guidelines released by the governor on May 18, rodeo participants and volunteers would have to be screened and have their temperatures taken before the event. Bleachers would have to be marked with spectators skipping rows and keeping six feet of distance between groups. Bleachers and other surfaces would also have to be sanitized after each night’s performance, and other safety measures would also have to be followed.

County Judge John Howard said state and local officials would not be writing tickets or policing the rodeo, but he encouraged organizers to follow the state guidelines.

“Anything where you bring in a group of people who can’t social distance is opposite the spirit of the guidelines,” Howard said. “We’re basically on the honor system here, so how honorable do we want to be? We ask people to take responsibility for themselves; but if we host an event and invite people to it, the we have to bear some responsibility also.”

Howard and McAnear also both spoke to the Enterprise about possible liability issues, but McAnear said COEA deals with that risk every time it hosts a rodeo.

Regarding the COEA’s decision to wait until June 15, Howard said that trend is for the state to make things more open, but he said he doesn’t see the recommendation for social distancing going away.

Meanwhile, the Donley County Extension Office also had not reached a decision as of Tuesday morning about the 4-H sponsored craft fair held annually on the courthouse lawn. The Shriners’ barbecue has not been set at press time, as Al Morrah Shrine Club members continue to watch what happens with the craft fair.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, however, did vote in early May to proceed with the July 4 Herring Bank Parade, but entries have been slow coming in at this point.

Henson’s also has indicated they would proceed with the Turtle Race regardless of what other activities are held or not held.