The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce is looking for businesses and organizations to participate in its downtown Halloween Event on October 30. Those interested in being a vendor, sponsoring a booth, or participating in the trunk-or-treat are asked to contact the Clarendon Visitor Center at 806-874-2421 or at chamber@clarendonTX.com. The Visitor Center at the Mulkey Theatre is open from 10:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.
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Broncos rack up over 300 yards in win
The Clarendon Broncos put on a show in front of a huge Homecoming crowd last Friday night earning a 49-7 win over Bovina. Jumping out to an early lead, the Broncos flexed their muscles all night long and took advantage of Bovina’s penalties early on.
The Broncos’ running game has been a stable for the Broncos as they had 229 yards on the ground and 332 yards of offense. Running back Jordan Herndon was a workhorse for the Broncos as he racked up 140 rushing on nine carries for three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Brock Hatley was seven of 13 passing for 103 total yards finding the endzone three times.
Jmaury Davis carried the ball nine times for 25 yards, Hatley went 34 yards on four carries, and freshman Anthony Brown ran with the ball three times for 14 yards. Lyric Smith carried three times for nine yards, Harrison Howard carried once for five, and Rhett Caison went two yards on one carry.
Hatley connected with Koyt Tucek for two catches, 21 yards, and one touchdown; and Lamarcus Penigar had one catch for 20 yards. Easton Frausto had one catch for three yards, while Davis came up with 32 yards passing on two catches and one TD. Smith had a 27-yard catch and one touchdown.
Defensively, the Broncos held Bovina all night long, barely letting them across the 50-yard line. Hatley and Jordan Evans each had 10 tackles, and Tucek had seven tackles and two sacks. Herndon made good on seven tackles and a fumble recovery, and Jared Musick hustled seven tackles. Caison also had seven tackles and Davis posted five tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery. Penigar finished the game with five tackles, two interceptions, one caused fumble and one fumble recovery.
The Broncos will gear up this week for a road trip to Hale Center on Friday, September 18, beginning at 7 p.m.
Broncos bring home another win over Ralls
The Broncos have begun their season with two wins, the second of which came last Friday night in Ralls with the Broncos’ hard-fought win over the Jackrabbits 12-8.
The Broncos set up a successful offense and finished with 204 total yards. Quarterback Brock Hatley accounted for 35 of those yards through the air after combining with Lamarcus Penigar for 22 yards and Josiah Howard for 13 yards.
The yards on the ground came fairly easy for the Bronco backfield. Led by Penigar, who posted 73 yards rushing on 10 carries, the Broncos used their quickness to get by the Jackrabbits to find the endzone twice in the 48 minutes. Jordan Herndon made one touchdown and went 58 yards on 14 carries, while Hatley posted the other TD and carried the ball five times for 12 yards. Jmaury Davis carried seven times for 19 yards, and Jordan Evans posted seven yards on two carries.
“Our defense played great,” head coach Clint Conkin said. “We had several guys making tackles.” Leading the way was Koyt Tucek who finished with 11 tackles, one QB sack, one caused fumble, and one fumble recovery. Lyric Smith posted 10 tackles, and Davis had nine tackles and two sacks. Hatley turned in six tackles and one sack, and Rhett Caison ended the game with six tackles. Herndon came in with eight tackles, and Evan had eight.
The Broncos will play Bovina Friday night in Bronco Stadium for the Homecoming game beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The junior varsity Broncos moved things around after their first game and shut out Ralls at home 24-0 on Thursday. Grant Haynes, Anthony Brown, and Tommy Tabor found the end zone for the Broncos. The JV Broncos will travel to Bovina on Thursday, September 9.
County approves budget for FY 22
Donley County Commissioners approved a $3.49 million budget for fiscal year 2022 during a called meeting on August 24.
Public hearings on the budget as well as the tax rate supporting it were held the same day prior to the approval.
The budget for the coming fiscal year is an increase of $394,999 over the 2021 budget, and Donley County Judge John Howard said the bulk of that increase of $250,000 for work on the 1890 Courthouse. County officials hope grant funds and insurance money will cover part of that figure.
“We can’t spend money that is not in the budget, so we have that figure in there in anticipation of getting additional funding,” Judge Howard said. “We like to pay as we go, and we do have some money set aside in the Courthouse Preservation Fund.”
The approved budget calls for transferring $125,000 out of the Courthouse Preservation Fund.
The courthouse was badly damaged when a waterline broke during a winter storm in February, and insurance is expected to cover a portion of that restoration work.
The county also hopes to get additional state funds through the Texas Historical Commission to address spalling on some of the sandstone on the exterior of the courthouse.
Howard said the new budget also includes a raise for county employees of 2.5 percent, totaling about $60,000 overall. Health insurance costs for the county are expected to increase by about seven percent as well.
“We’re trying to prepare for inflation and protect the gains we’ve made in county salaries,” Howard said.
On the revenue side, the county budget will be supported by an ad valorem tax rate of $0.612776 per $100 valuation, which is about 1.6 cents less than the current rate. Donley County will also receive $200,000 in the fifth of ten payments from the wind farm in the northern part of the county.
The budget carries over $285,000 in funds from the current year, and the remainder of revenues come from fines, fees, and service charges.
A grant to pay for a highway safety officer in the sheriff’s office has expired and no longer provides funds for that officer. The new budget covers the entire cost for that position, which the county says pays for itself.
Fiscal year 2022 will begin October 1, 2021, for Donley County.
Donley COVID-19 cases total 27 in August
A total of 27 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Donley County during the month of August, three times the 9 cases confirmed in July and almost seven times the total of four cases for June.
“Almost all of our new cases are people who are unvaccinated, and some have had COVID before,” said Donley County Judge John Howard, MD. “If you are unvaccinated, you are at risk of contracting the disease, spreading the disease, and, under the right circumstances, winding up in the hospital.”
Due to the Labor Day holiday, the number of active cases this week was not available from the Clarendon Family Medical Center, but the number of positive tests at the clinic rose by eight from last Tuesday to this Tuesday.
Total positive cases confirmed at the local clinic since the pandemic began last spring now stands at 413 with 1,713 total tests and 1300 negative tests. Again, these numbers only reflect tests conducted at the local clinic and do not include residents who test positive at facilities outside of Donley County.
Howard urges everyone to protect themselves from the virus, which he says can help people keep from catching and spreading the virus.
“My recommendation is that everyone get the vaccine,” Howard said. “It is readily available and free.”
The Moderna vaccine is available at no charge at the local clinic for everyone ages 18 and over. The Pfizer vaccine is available in Amarillo for children ages 12 and over.
According to the Texas Tribune this week, 29.6 percent of Donley County residents are vaccinated. That represents a total of 989 people, up from 938 as of August 3.
Bright days ahead for old Texaco station
An old building that once pulled people off of US 287 will soon have new life and a new purpose for travelers to the area.
For the past few weeks, curious passers-by have noticed work being done at the old Petty Texaco service station at the corner of US 287 and Gorst Street. The lot is being cleaned. The weeds are being cleared. Old tires are being removed. And there’s activity inside the old building itself once again.
The building’s new owners Nikki and Dusty Green, Donley County residents and producers of the nationally-broadcast PBS travel show “Two for the Road,” have a vision that involves a restoration of the old building, a re-invention of the tourism model in the Panhandle, and what they hope will be an exciting new breath of life in historic downtown Clarendon.
For several months the Greens have been in talks with the station’s previous owners, longtime Clarendon residents Lester and Shirley Petty, who first bought the station back from the Texaco Corporation back in the late 1970s. The sale was finalized recently, and the Greens are already hard at work cleaning and converting the building into the Clarendon headquarters for their exciting new venture, a tour company called the Saints Roost Expedition Company.
“First and foremost this wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for Shirley and Lester’s help, their generosity, and quite frankly for their faith in us and in this project,” said Dusty. “And the best part of this entire process without a doubt has been getting to know Lester and Shirley, who are just the kindest, sweetest people. And we’re so happy to be able to call them great friends. We really hope to make them – and the rest of Clarendon – very proud with what we’re doing.”
The immediate plan, say the Greens, is to clean up the property and restore it as best they can to its original condition. As far as records indicate, the Texaco Type “EM” service station was originally built back in the late 1930s or early 1940s. And although its outward appearance has changed quite a bit from those old days – from layers of new paint added every so often to the addition of the metal awning that crowns the structure – the Greens say getting the building back to how it looked in its early days will be difficult but not impossible.
“It can be done, and we’re confident it will be done,” said Dusty. “And we’re confident that folks are going to be blown away once we get it back to its original 1940s and 1950s classic Texaco look. And it will definitely something that will catch the eye of everybody driving by.”
The company’s Clarendon operations will run out of the old Texaco, which will be named the Lester Petty Station. Lester had to close the station in the early 1990s, and since then the building has had a handful of tenants over the years and was used for a variety of purposes.
“The building needs a lot of love, for sure,” said Nikki. “But it’s actually in remarkably good condition for being so old. And in the process of cleaning we actually came across a series of original Texaco blueprints of the building from the 40s and 50s which are still in incredibly good condition. So we certainly hope they’ll help as we move forward, and give us a road map of sorts to follow with the restoration.”
The Greens say they hope to work through the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation’s Historic Facade Grant Program to help cover some of the expenses. They are currently taking bids for the project and plan to present their case to the CEDC in September.
“We want not only do this the right way but do it in a way that benefits the community as a whole,” Dusty said. “We want this to be a place the folks in this community can be proud of and really enjoy.”
The Greens say they hope the old station will serve as much more than their tour company headquarters. There will be a retail component, and they aim to convert the large, spacious lot surrounding the structure into a community gathering area, complete with picnic tables, fire pits and games, and spaces for food trucks, outdoor music, special events and more. Following in the footsteps of other successful projects like the renovated Mulkey Theater and the new city aquatic center, they hope the project will be yet another catalyst in the effort to revitalize Clarendon’s historic downtown area.
As far as the kinds of tours they’ll be offering through the Saints Roost Expedition Company, the Greens have been working over the better part of the last year with area businesses, landowners and government agencies to develop a variety of intimate, small-group tours that will highlight the area’s rich history, abundant wildlife and beautiful landscapes. The Greens say many of their tours will be innovative and unlike anything ever offered in our region, and are based on many of the incredible tours they themselves have taken while filming their television show around the world.
“We’ve been to some fifty plus countries around the world and worked with a countless number of excellent tour companies, guides and organizations.” said Dusty. “And over those many years we’ve studied them, learned from them, and developed an appreciation for and a knowledge of how a world-class tour company operates. And we want to apply what we’ve learned on our tours around the world to the tours we plan on offering here. So there’s a tremendous amount of work and planning involved but we feel great about the direction we’re heading. We think folks are going to love it.”
In addition to the Clarendon office, the Greens hope to establish a similar but separate company headquarters down the road in Quitaque to better serve the thousands of travelers who come through that city every month to visit Caprock Canyons State Park.
The Greens are in the process of finalizing a contract with Texas Parks and Wildlife to allow them to run tours, activities and other events in the park itself. Dusty says their talks with park and state officials have gone very well and they expect that contract to be finalized in the next couple of weeks.
“We hope to begin running some ‘soft’ tours here in the next couple of months, and we’ll certainly be offering spots on these tours to local folks to help us smooth out all the kinks. They’re going to be a lot of fun. And by next spring we hope to be fully open and running at full capacity. Of course COVID might have something to say about that too. But we’ve got all our fingers crossed.”
But what does this new venture mean for the future of their Lone Star Emmy-nominated travel show? Only good things, say the Greens, who in the midst of building this new company are also in the pre-production process of season five of Two for the Road. They aren’t certain at this point when production will actually begin or when the new season will air – thanks mostly to uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and their ability to travel again safely – but the show will definitely go on, they say.
“It sounds strange to say but the Saints Roost Expedition Company has been the silver lining of COVID for us,” said Nikki. “We’ve had the idea for this company for several years now, but just haven’t had the time to really invest in it because of all our traveling with the TV show. COVID changed all that. Since we haven’t been able to travel, we’ve been able to spend our time and resources on making this new dream a reality. So it’s worked out really well in that sense, and it’s incredibly exciting to see it all finally coming together.”
Cornell to perform at Mulkey Sept. 5
Clarendon native Zach Cornell is carving out his place in the music business and is ready to entertain folks in his hometown this weekend.
Cornell will be performing at the Mulkey Theatre this Sunday, September 5, at 6 p.m. and is looking forward to playing a venue he’s only heard about growing up.
“I never thought there would be a place like that to perform in Clarendon,” he said.
Cornell said his father, Bill Cornell, used to tell him about going to the movies at the Mulkey when he grew up, but the singer only ever saw it closed during his lifetime.
“I knew they were working on it and had opened it,” he said. “I just think it’s a cool thing for folks like me who have just seen it shut down before. I can’t wait to see inside.”
Just like the Mulkey found new life in recent years, Cornell himself has found a new calling as a singer/songwriter – a far cry from what he thought his career path would be after graduating Clarendon High School in 2014.
He started playing guitar when he was 12 or 13, he said.
“My sister had a guitar but wouldn’t let me touch it, and that just made me want to play it more,” Cornell said.
In high school, he played with the youth group at the First Baptist Church on Wednesday nights and took two or three lessons with Billy Boone, who was the youth leader at the First United Methodist Church at the time.
But it wasn’t until he went to college that Cornell really began to get serious about music and spend a lot more time practicing.
Studying marketing at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Cornell said he would spend his free time in his dorm room practicing his playing and songwriting, encouraged by a few friends who shared a love for the same kind of music.
“I always enjoyed playing and singing, but I never thought I could make a career of it, until some friends got me to try some open mic nights and then book some gigs,” he said.
After graduating college in 2018, he took his marketing degree and entered the workforce.
“I got a sales job and made it two weeks,” he said, “and then I went back to singing.”
Cornell prefers traditional country music with a blend of what he calls Americana songs that cross genres, taking inspiration from storytellers like Tom T. Hall and Jim Croce. Hall, who died last week, had a particularly strong influence on the young artist.
“He told a story like nobody else,” Cornell said. “Funny or serious – he could do it like he was talking to you like you’re right in the room. He had a level of songwriting that people like me will spend their whole life trying to get to.”
After he married, his wife Liberty encouraged him to move to Nashville to pursue his passion.
“She said, ‘I’m a nurse; I can work anywhere,” Cornell remembers. “So we moved to Nashville right before COVID hit.”
The music business is hard, Cornell said, but Nashville has been good to his family. He’s gotten to work with Jack Gavin, a former drummer for Charlie Daniels’ band, who has served as a mentor to him.
It’s a great time to be an independent artist in the music business, Cornell said.
“No body is telling you what you can say or what songs you have to sing, and you don’t have to say everything in three minutes,” he said.
He recorded his first studio-produced album, “Devil’s Been Working,” in January 2020, but the pandemic delayed its release until November. The music on the album is all written either by Cornell or he and his wife together, and he says it’s been well received and opened a lot of doors for him.
“It’s gotten me into a lot of places and really shows the sound we’re going for,” he said. “It’s a good foundation to go off of.”
“Devil’s Been Working” is available on Apple Music and “anywhere you can stream music really,” Cornell said.
Cornell said he now plays gigs in Nashville five days a week and then does road trips about once a month. This week he’s performing in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Thursday before coming to Texas where he will play The Woodlands on Friday and Fort Worth on Saturday before coming home Sunday.
“I’m just excited to come home and pick a little bit,” Cornell said.
Tickets for Sunday evening’s performance are $10 each and can be purchased at the door or in advance at MulkeyTheatre.com. The acoustic concert will be BYOB (no glass containers), and concessions will be available.
First Saturday activities set this weekend
“First Saturday Clarendon, Texas” continues in this weekend with country music superstars at the Sandell Drive-In, the Donley County Farmers Market, Whistle-Stop Trade Days, movies and a live concert at the Mulkey Theatre, and more fun activities and shopping.
September 4 marks the fourth month of the “First Saturday” promotion.
The Labor Day weekend starts with another blockbuster on-screen concert at the Sandell Drive-In Thursday night, September 2. See our front page story in this Enterprise for more information and how to get tickets.
This Saturday people can enjoy the food trucks, live music, and fun of the Whistle-Stop, and shop all the fresh produce, baked goods, and other items at the new Donley County Farm 2 Table market at Cornell’s Country Store.
The Mulkey Theatre will screen The Suicide Squad at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night and then host Clarendon native Zach Cornell in concert on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Tickets to movies and events at the theatre are available at the door and online at MulkeyTheatre.com.
Shoppers can also enjoy several local merchants this weekend. The new marketing campaign to pool resources and centralize support behind a once-a-month weekend of activities, trade days, shopping and fun in Clarendon and Donley County.
Businesses, organizations, and anyone else planning an event are encouraged to consider having it on the weekend of the First Saturday of each month to take maximum advantage of the community’s advertising dollars in the area.
First Saturday events are being sought for October to go along with trade days and other local events. First Saturday in October will also see the return of the Lions Clubs members from across the Panhandle as they bring their fall cabinet meeting back to the Mulkey Theatre.
If you know of something happening on the first weekend of each month, it can easily be added to the promotion mix by calling or texting 806-662-4687, emailing ashlee.estlack@gmail.com, visiting the “First Saturday, Clarendon Texas” Facebook page, or by filling out the contact form at ClarendonTX.com/FirstSaturday.
Broncos send Seymour packing
The Broncos played hard in their season opener and racked up 29 points in their match-up with Seymour in Bronco Stadium Friday night. The Clarendon defense not only kept the Panthers out of the endzone all night but also added six points of their own to the point total.
The Broncos finished the game with 202 yards rushing, and senior quarterback Brock Hatley racked up 75 yards in the air to put the Broncos just under 280 total yards on the night.
The Broncos began to develop their running game last year with several players sharing the duties in the backfield and are continuing to build on that speed.
The Bronco team consists of several seniors who have put in the work for four years and are counting on a huge season. Along with their running game, the Broncos will bring some strength to their passing game as well.
Putting together some good runs on the ground were seniors Lamarcus Penigar, Jordan Herndon, Jordan Evans, and Brock Hatley who were joined by junior Jmaury Davis, and sophomores Lyric Smith and Easton Frausto who added to the total yardage.
Rounding out the Broncos’ offensive strengths is senior wide receiver Koyt Tucek, who had one catch for 10 yards.
Smith had a big game for the Broncos as he carried three times for 51 yards and one touchdown on the night. Penigar posted 43 yards on nine carries for 43 yards and one touchdown, and Herndon carried eight times for one touchdown and 27 total yards. The Broncos called on Davis five times for 29 yards, and Evans collected 29 yards in four carries. Hatley had three carries for 20 yards and was 6/11 passing for 75 yards in the air, and Frausto had one carry for four yards. Penigar also had seven catches from Hatley for 65 yards.
Despite being a little light on the line, the Bronco defense stayed strong against the Panthers. Hatley led the team with 11 tackles, and Davis had nine. He also had two forced fumbles and recovered two fumbles. His blocked punt resulted in six points for the Broncos.
“We held Seymour to only 65 yards rushing,” head coach Clint Conkin said.
The Broncos will be on the road to Ralls September 3 beginning at 7:00 p.m., and the Bronco JV will host Ralls on September 2 at 5:00 p.m. Tickets for the varsity game can be purchased at the gate, and tickets for the JV game must be purchased online at https://clarendon-cisd.ticketleap.com/jv-bronco-football-vs-ralls/.
Owls blow out Chillicothe
The Hedley Owls opened their 2021 football season with a big win over Chillicothe at Memorial Field, 45-0.
Josh Booth threw for 106 yards and four touchdowns. Cody Bond caught two passes to gain 51 yards and scored one touchdown. Hayden Alston also caught two, running 58 yards total and finding the endzone twice; and Saul Carreon caught a pass for a four-yard gain and one touchdown.
Izaik Weatherred rushed for 55 yards on four carries and scored once. Nick Clark carried five time, totaling 50 yards and racking up two touchdowns. Also rushing for the Owls were Braden Bond with 44 yards on three carries and Isaiah Torres with five yards on three carries.
This Friday the Owls will be on the road for a hoot-out with the Silverton Owls. Game time will be 7:30 p.m.
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