News

The Donley County 4-H members participated in the Big Fun in D1 district 4-H contest on Friday, April 23, at West Texas A&M University with the horse judging teams winning several honors.

Local youth made up the District champion teams in two divisions: Juniors – Makynna Williams, Kassie Askew and Colton Henson; and Intermediates – Whitney Williams, Gracie Ellis, Maloree Wann and Bryce Williams.

Junior – Makynna Williams and Intermediate – Whitney Williams were also named district champion individuals.

Individual results are as follows: Junior division – Makynna Williams 1st overall, 5th halter, 1st performance, 1st reasons; Kassie Askew 3rd overall, 3rd halter, 3rd performance, 2nd reasons; and Colton Henson 4th overall, 1st halter, 4th performance, 5th reasons.

Intermediate division – Whitney Williams 1st overall, 1st halter, 4th performance, 1st reasons; Gracie Ellis 2nd overall, 3rd halter, 5th performance, 2nd reasons; Maloree Wann 7th overall, 4th halter, 12th performance, 4th reasons; Bryce Williams 8th overall, 11th halter, 9th performance, 14th reasons; Elliot Frausto 12th overall, 8th halter, 17th performance, 5th reasons; and Mary Jo Dushay 21st overall, 19th halter, 19th performance, 23rd reasons.

Senior division – Brenna Ellis 3rd overall, 5th halter, 3rd performance, 4th reasons; and Laney Gates 6th overall, 10th halter, 5th performance, 5th reasons. Brenna Ellis will represent Donley County at the State 4-H Roundup horse judging contest on June 9 at Texas A&M University.

In the Livestock judging competition, fourth place went to the Intermediate team of Hudson Howard, Grant Haynes, Parker Haynes, and Hayden Moore with Individual results as follows:

Intermediate – Hudson 2nd overall, 6th Beef division, 6th Sheep & Goat, 12th Swine; Grant 14th overall, 15th Beef, 28th Sheep and Goat, 3rd Swine; Parker 41st overall, 53rd Beef, 33rd, Sheep and Goat, 25th Swine; Hayden 49th overall, 27th Beef, 50th Sheep and Goat, 41st Swine; and Senior Division – Jodee Pigg 33rd overall, 30th Beef, 33rd Sheep and Goat, 27th Swine, 39th Reasons.

In the Share the Fun Contest, Grace and Emily McCurdy competed in the Musical/Instrumental Contest with their piano performances. In the Intermediate division, Emily had a 1st place performance while Grace finished 7th in the Senior division.

The 16th annual Trash To Treasures garage sale event will headline Clarendon’s First Saturday promotion for June.

The sign-up period is now open for garage sales in Clarendon, Hedley, Howardwick, and the surrounding area.

Residents who wish to participate in this year’s “Trash To Treasures” are asked to contact the Enterprise before 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 27, to sign up for the promotion.

For just $25, each household will get a 50-word advertisement in the Big-E Classifieds and the exclusive “Trash To Treasures” garage sale signs. In addition, the Enterprise will print a city map the week of the event indicating the location of each sale and will promote the countywide garage sale in area newspapers and radio ads as well as on social media and digital platforms.

In addition to garage sales, non-profits and youth groups can also hold fundraising cookouts and events and be included on the map as part of this great day in our community.

Residents of other towns who would like to set up for the sale are invited to do so at the Assembly of God parking lot, but they will need to provide their own tables and tents. Contact the Enterprise for more information about this option.

“The more people who have garage sales during Trash To Treasures, the better everyone will do,” said Roger Estlack, publisher of The Clarendon Enterprise which sponsors the event. “Sign-up fees cover the cost of area advertising, so we can reach more people and have better attendance if we have a larger number of sales.”

First Saturday Clarendon Texas is a marketing campaign endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce and the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation to pool resources and centralize support behind once-a-month weekend of activities, trade days, and shopping.

The Whistle-Stop Trade Days is planning to begin its monthly events on the first Saturday in June, and other First Saturday events are already on the calendar, including the Saints’ Roost Celebration in July and a district Lions Club event in October. To learn more, visit ClarendonTx.com/FirstSaturday.

For more information about the annual Trash To Treasures garage sale event, call 874-2259 or come by the Enterprise office at 105 S. Kearney.

The new manager of the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce has hit the ground running and is looking forward to new activities hosted by the organization.

Sharlene Bordonaro began work April 7 after Chamber directors approved hiring her two days earlier and says she is looking forward to the position and working for the members.

In her first two weeks, Bordonaro has been working to get out and meet people, to contact potential new members – both businesses and individuals, to prepare for the Saints’ Roost Celebration Herring Bank Parade, and to distribute the new spring/summer Clarendon Welcome Guide.

“I like everything about the job,” Bordonaro said. “I like the hours and the work encompasses everything I like doing. I like accounting, marketing, and networking with people.”

Bordonaro grew up in Wichita and Clearwater, Kan., and she and her family have lived in Clarendon for two years. One of her goals is to have more Chamber-sponsored events to provide more local activities.

“I hope to do a lot of events to promote businesses that are members of the Chamber and to encourage people to work together for our beautiful little town,” she said. “I want to make the business owners happy and help them grown their business.”

The Chamber’s next event is a Mother’s Day movie night on Sunday, May 9, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 per person and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, mimosas, and the movie “Mother’s Day,” Bordonaro said. Tickets are available at the Visitor Center or at MulkeyTheatre.com.

Bordonaro said the Visitor Center continues to be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. She will be in the office regularly Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and will be out seeing people on Wednesdays. Chamber Clerk Madeleine Black is also still working at the Visitor Center and will have the office open when Bordonaro is out.

The new manager encourages people to contact the Visitor Center by calling 806-874-2421, emailing Chamber@ClarendonTx.com, or by going by the office inside the Mulkey Theatre.

“If they have questions, they can come ask us; and if they want to learn some cool stuff about our town’s history, they can come talk to Madeleine.”

More information about the Chamber is also available at ClarendonTx.com/Chamber.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) and the Metal Trades Council (MTC) on April 7 signed and submitted final paperwork to the US Department of Labor (DOL) for a new apprenticeship program at Pantex.

The program is being implemented to increase participation in trades work by hiring apprentices who are working on their qualifications and providing them the training and hours necessary to obtain journeyman certifications.

“We seek to hire the best talent available to provide career-enhancing assignments that improve our site,” said Pantex Site Manager Todd Ailes. “The apprenticeship program will serve Pantex and job seekers by training workers for jobs with promising futures.”

Apprentices are full-time, paid employees who earn while they learn. The previous apprenticeship program at Pantex was discontinued in the late 1980s.

“The new program’s implementation will improve community involvement and help us prepare for the future,” said David McCown, Pantex Infrastructure manager. “Pantex is a unique place to work. The program will allow us to recruit and train specifically for the support we provide to operations.”

The renewal of the program has been almost two years in the making and required a lot of work and persistence by members of team that included Pantex Infrastructure, Operations, Legal, Labor Relations, and the MTC. Y-12 National Security Complex, DOL, and the United Association Local Union 404 (Plumbers and Pipefitters union) assisted with requirements and training for the new program.

“Recruiting qualified trades workers is becoming a challenge given the nature of the competitive labor market,” said Tonya Detten, acting manager of Pantex Labor Relations. “These crafts take a very specific skill and require very technical training, including classroom training and supervised hours doing the work. That is where the apprenticeship program comes in; our journeymen can teach newcomers the trade and how it’s done at Pantex.”

Pantex will first accept pipefitter apprentices with plans to expand to sheet metal workers, boilermakers, and toolmakers in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress on the program’s launch because some trades would need to travel to Houston or Albuquerque for specific training—a challenge because of travel restrictions. Fortunately, local unions were able to provide the appropriate pipefitter training to get the program started

“The local Union Association of Pipefitters and Plumbers Union stepped in with local curriculum, classroom, and trade knowledge to get us off the ground and running,” Detten said. “We just took what COVID gave us and we figured out a way to make it work, and we look towards adding other trades as COVID restrictions are lifted.”

Apprentice training will take place on- and off site. Once the apprentices fully complete their apprenticeship, which takes approximately four years, they are employed as journey-level craftsmen.
They are paid on a sliding scale according to their training and experience until they obtain journeyman status.

CNS expects to have the first five pipefitter apprentices onboard at Pantex by the end of fiscal year 2021.

“It is great to see the reestablished apprentice program at Pantex, as it will set the stage for bringing the next generation of trades stewards that will maintain our infrastructure,” said Gabe Pugh, deputy manager NNSA Production Office, Pantex. “They are critical to the success of our mission at Pantex.”