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This Week

Benson runs third in Lubbock XC Meet

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Lady Broncos XC team placed 4th in Lubbock on Saturday. Madi placed 2nd and Tandie Cummins placed 12th.Courtesy Photo / Korey Conkin

By Sandy Anderberg

Clarendon High School sophomore Madi Benson ran a great cross country race in Lubbock at Mae Simmons Park last weekend.

Benson’s time of 13:05.1 for the two-mile course put her just under 20 seconds behind the first-place finisher. According to coach Korey Conkin, Benson led the field for the first mile and a half of the race. She and fellow athlete Tandie Cummins both received a medal for their efforts in leading the Lady Bronco team to a fourth-place finish in the meet. Cummins ran 12th with a finishing time of 13:41.9.

Gracie Ellis ran 34th in the field of 141 competitors with a time of 14:19.7, and Berkley Moore ran 36th at 14:32.3. Presley Smith was 53rd with a 15:00.8, Kenidee Hayes was 58th at 15:10.9, and Kennadie Cummins ran the course in a time of 16:08.7 finishing in 93rd place.

Bronco junior Bryce Williams had a great race as well and ran a personal best on the Lubbock course with a time of 18:42.2 for 13th place and a medal. Williams was two minutes off the first-place pace in a field of 127 runners. Tanner Cavanaugh also ran and ended the race with a time of 25:33.9.

The Broncos, Lady Broncos, and junior high Lady Colts will participate in the Greenbelt Gallop on October 3 at Greenbelt Lake.

New pastor for Hedley First Baptist Church

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The First Baptist Church of Hedley has called Braden Montgomery as their new pastor.

Braden Montgomery and family

Montgomery’s first Sunday will be October 1. He grew up in the Panhandle of Texas, going to school in Hedley and graduating from White Deer High School. He has college experience from Wayland Baptist University and has eight years of ministry experience as a youth and music minister. This will be his first pastorate.

Montgomery and his wife, Lauren, have a five-month-old son named Micah. The church is excited about its future and welcomes Braden, Lauren, and Micah with open arms.

Survey seeks input for area passenger railroad service

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Panhandle residents in support of passenger rail service for the area are encouraged to fill out a survey.

Texas Panhandle residents interested in seeing passenger rail service return to the area can make their voices heard with a new Amtrak service study.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is conducting an Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study to evaluate the restoration of daily long-distance intercity rail passenger service and the potential for new Amtrak long-distance routes.

This study will ultimately create a long-term vision for long-distance passenger rail service and identify capital projects and funding needed to implement that vision.

To add a comment to the study, residents can follow this link and mention their support for adding Amtrak service to Amarillo, Texas: https://bit.ly/4677Eyz.

Supporters of passenger rail service say that it boosts economic development and that it connects rural communities to the nation by providing greater travel opportunities.

According to the FRA website, the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study will: Evaluate options for restoring or enhancing to daily basis intercity passenger rail service along routes; Select preferred options for restoring or enhancing service; Develop a prioritized inventory of capital projects and other actions required to restore or enhance the service, including cost estimates for those projects and actions; Develop recommendations for methods by which Amtrak could work with local communities and organizations to develop activities and programs to continuously improve public use of intercity passenger rail service along each route; and Identify Federal and non-Federal funding sources required to restore or enhance the service.

Eighty years of passenger train service between Dallas and Denver ended when the Texas Zephyr made its final southbound run coming through Clarendon on September 11, 1967, according to the files of The Donley County Leader. The final northbound run had been made the day before.

The FRA says Amtrak was established by the Rail Passenger Act of 1970, which removed the requirement for US railroads to provide intercity passenger rail service and created Amtrak to fulfill that role instead. In 1971, the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) designated 21 city pairs between which intercity passenger trains should operate, and Amtrak began service between those cities later that year. The new passenger rail system was about half the size (by route miles) of the pre-1971 US passenger rail system, which had been operated by multiple railroads.

In 1975, The Clarendon Press reported that representatives from Clarendon and other area towns addressed hearings in Fort Worth attempting to persuade Amtrak to implement passenger service between Dallas and Denver.

At the request of Congress, several long-distance routes were added to Amtrak’s system in the 1970s, but long-distance service contracted in the following decades – especially after a 1978 US DOT report that recommended significant service reductions, the FRA website reports.

Long-distance network service reductions over the past half century have resulted in some communities losing common carrier transportation options, as well as the economic and social benefits of those connections.

Amtrak’s current service map.

Tennessee team wins 2023 chuckwagon cookoff

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2023 Chuckwagon Champions – Camp Cookie. Enterprise Photo

The Camp Cookie wagon team from Germantown, Tennessee, claimed the championship of the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday, September 23, beating out 11 other teams.

Competing in the Saints’ Roost Museum’s 28th annual cookoff, Camp Cookie placed first in Overall Cooking and first in Beans, Meats, and Desserts as well as second in Bread to win the title of best Overall Wagon & Cooking.

The Shadow Peak Chuckwagon from Weatherford, Texas., placed first in Wagon & Camp this year in its first appearance at the Clarendon cookoff.

The 16th annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew nine contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. First was Elika Wilson cooking with Honey Do Spoiler, second was Jase Conway cooking with D Bar B Wagon, and third was Teagan Chesser cooking with Camp Cookie. The Jake Tolbert Memorial Award, a Dutch oven, was presented to Wilson by Vince Smith Solano Wagon Co.
Other junior participants were Kassie Askew from Clarendon, cooking with Crosstimber; Asa Bains from Clarendon, 2M

Chuckwagon; August Pearson from Clarendon, cooking with Shadow Peak; Noah Pearson from Clarendon, cooking with Double Nichols; Elliott Robertson from Clarendon, cooking with Cocklebur Camp; and Henry Robertson from Clarendon, cooking with Wild Cow Ranch

The Junior Cookoff is sponsored each year by the American Chuckwagon Association.

The trade show was held throughout the day Saturday, and live entertainment was provided.

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) Camp Cookie.

Overall Cooking: 1) Camp Cookie., 2) Wild Cow Ranch of Fritch., 3) Double Nichols of Amarillo, and 4) D Bar B Chuckwagon of Childress.

Best Wagon & Camp: 1) Shadow Peak, 2) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo, 3) Crosstimber Ranch of Mustang, Okla., and 4) Wild Cow.

Best Meat: 1) Camp Cookie, 2) D-B, 3) Double Nichols, and 4) Wild Cow.

Best Beans: 1) Camp Cookie, 2) Honey-Do Spoiler of Pampa, 3) Crosstimber, and 4) Solano Wagon Co. of Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Best Potatoes: 1) J Bar D, 2) D Bar B, 3) Wild Cow, and 4) Double Nichols.

Best Bread: 1) Shadow Peak, 2) Camp Cookie, 3) Double Nichols, and 4) Crosstimber.

Best Dessert: 1) Camp Cookie, 2) D Bar B, 3) Wild Cow, and 4) J Bar D.

2023 Junior Cookoff Participants

Dorothy Joy Martin

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Dorothy Joy Martin, of Midland, born in Donley County, on October 10, 1928, left this world to
be with the Lord on September 13, 2023.

Dorothy Joy Martin

Dorothy was predeceased by her husband, Ford Martin, her son Mitchell Martin, her grandson Justin Martin, and her sister Jessie Lee Holcomb.

Dorothy leaves behind her son Ricky of Midland, her son Randy of Abilene, sister Carolyn Taylor of Memphis, and brother Jerry Don White of Peoria, Arizona. She also leaves behind numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, many friends and friends of loved ones that she cared for throughout the years. Dorothy grew up in Lelia Lake. She graduated from Clarendon High School and went to every reunion until she could no longer make the drive from Midland. Dorothy and her husband were residents of Clarendon, along with other members of the Martin family who are laid to rest in the Citizens’ Cemetery of Clarendon.

She worked at the telephone company during World War II along with her husband’s sister Merle Martin who introduced Dorothy to her husband Ford Martin. After leaving Borger, Texas, where she and her family resided for many years, her husband’s work took them to Midland where Dorothy worked for several years at the Odessa Country Club. She even created a Breakfast Mini Muffin Recipe which they still use to this day on their buffet. She then went to work in the safety deposit room at a local bank in Midland which became Chase Bank, and she retired after 25 years of service. She saw the company through many name changes and stayed a dedicated employee throughout all of those transitions. After that, Dorothy went to work for the Yellow Rose Retirement Home. She spent the next 15 years as a cook for the home, taking care of the individual nutritional needs of 8 residents at a time. She worked until they closed their doors. She was 89 years old at that time. She continued cooking for her residents and taking meals to them in their new nursing homes until the last one passed away.

Dorothy dedicated her life to other people, spreading so much joy with her cooking, loving those around her, and giving of herself always. She was so very deeply loved and will be incredibly missed.

She walked this earth as one of God’s angels.

The Family will have a Potluck Dinner and Celebration of Life in Honor of Dorothy at Beall Park Clubhouse 5200 West Wall Street in Midland, Texas, 79703 on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, (her 95th birthday) from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Please bring your favorite dish and join the family.

2023 Cotton Festival to be held October 14

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Plans are underway for the 2023 Hedley Cotton Festival to be held Friday and Saturday, October 13 and 14.

Friday night will feature barbecue sandwiches at the Lions Den with chips and drinks. Johnny Woodard will provide music, and everyone is invited to come, stay, and visit.

The Hedley Volunteer Fire Department will get the day started Saturday with a breakfast fundraiser from 7:00 to 9:30 a.m. or until the food runs out. The breakfast will be at the Hedley Senior Citizens building and will cost $9 per person.

The firefighters will also be holding a 50/50 raffle that day. Tickets are available from any firefighter or at Country Bloomers in Clarendon.

The Hedley Senior Citizens will be having a raffle for a Henry Golden Boy .22 rifle and a Henry Lever Action .410. Tickets will be for sale in front of the senior citizens building. The Hedley High School One Act Play will also be having bingo and a silent auction inside the building all day.

The Cotton Festival Kiddie Parade will be held at 11 a.m., and the Festival Parade will be at 1 p.m. For parade entries, contact Mark C. White at 806-277-0412.

The senior citizens will serve hamburgers and chips at noon for lunch, and barbecue sandwiches will also be available again in the Lions Den. All drawings for the festival will be held at 6 p.m. at the Lions Den.

Sheriff says school lockdown was appropriate

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School officials and the Donley County Sheriff’s Office are reviewing what worked well and what needs improvement after a false alarm caused Clarendon CISD campuses to go on lockdown for about half an hour last Thursday, September 15.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said the school acted appropriately even though ultimately it was determined there was no threat to the school or the students.

“In my opinion, they did exactly what that should have done with the information they had to start with,” Blackburn said.

CCISD administration was made aware of a perceived threat by a student at about 8:50 a.m. According to a statement by the school, the student had left campus, and all campuses were put on lockdown until law enforcement could arrive and ascertain the whereabouts of the student. Sheriff Blackburn found the student off campus, and the lockdown was lifted at 9:24.

Both the sheriff and Superintendent Jarod Bellar said that at no time was there ever a threat to the school, but the school acted on the side of caution to be sure. The sheriff’s investigation, which involved multiple witnesses and school security camera footage, revealed there was never a threat of any kind from the student.

“It was good in a way to have a real lockdown instead of a practice,” Blackburn said. “We can learn from mistakes.”

Bellar agreed and said the lockdown went well but that there are areas to be improved upon. The app used to implement the lockdown was triggered with a default “intruder” message, which Bellar said was not an accurate description of the reason for the lockdown but was the best of the default choices at the time.

The school is working to improve and customize the app, which is used to communicate on campus, and is also exploring other ways to communicate with the parents.

CCISD’s new safety officer had not started officially but responded Thursday with the sheriff’s office. The officer’s first day on the job was Monday of this week.

Both Bellar and Blackburn ask parents to remember that in the event of the lockdown to please not come to the campus. No one will be allowed in or out of the buildings, and the presence of more people will add to congestion and potentially present more safety issues.

Golf Champs

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The Clarendon Country Club held its annual Club Championship Tournament last weekend. The 2023 Men’s Club Champion was Matt Salsman, the 2023 Ladies’ Club Champion was Theresa Shelton, the 2023 Super Senior Men’s Champion was Vance Moxom, and the 2023 Senior Men’s Champion was Neal Conrad.

Broncos beat Smyer, 64-26

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Bronco Grant Haynes catches the ball in the endzone last week against Smyer.

The Clarendon Broncos breezed by Smyer 64-26 in their first win of the season last Friday night before a huge Homecoming crowd. The Broncos racked up over 550 offensive yards and found the endzone 12 times.

Senior running back Lyric Smith’s highlight of the night was a 72-yard kickoff return for six from the Broncos’ 28-yard line. Smith counted for 284 yards on the night with 19 carries for 226 yards in addition to 58yards in the air. He also grabbed five tackles on the defensive side.

Quarterback Harrison Howard was 13 of 20 passing for 226 yards and four strikes. Along with Smith, Howard hit Mason Sims for a 35-yard touchdown and found Easton Frausto and Grant Haynes in the air to account for another two scores. The Bronco offensive line did a good job of opening holes in the Smyer defense to allow the Broncos to rack up 325 yards rushing.

Defensively, the Broncos stopped the Bobcats from gaining any advantage on the field moving the ball. Colton Benson led the team with 13 tackles and Frausto finished with 11. Anthony Ceniceros and Dalton Coles added 10 tackles each. Sims posted five tackles and Haynes finished with four. Heston Seay and Ranger Drenth were in on three tackles each, Kaleb Mays had two, and Hayden Moore, Braylon Rice, Michael Randall had one each.

The Broncos are looking for their second win September 22 at Tulia and preparing for their District opener against Wheeler on October 6.

City okays tax rate, budgets

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The Clarendon City Council approved its tax rate and budget for the coming fiscal year during its regular meeting last Thursday, September 15.

Aldermen adopted a tax rate of $0.610083, which is expected to bring in 3.56 percent more revenue to the city. The city budget was also unanimously passed by the council.

The council also considered the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation’s EDC budget and Hotel Occupancy Tax budget and the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce’s Hotel Occupancy Tax budget. Both were approved.

Publicity and Tourism Agreements with the Chamber and CEDC were considered and renewed for a two-year period. The Chamber receives 25 percent of the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue and the CEDC administers the other 75 percent.

An agreement for consultation services with David Dockery was approved. Dockery is retiring as City Administrator at the end of September but will stay on part time for a limited time as a consultant to help manage projects that are already underway.

The council considered upgrading handrails scheduled for the Downtown Revitalization Project. It’s possible that excess grant funds may be allowed to be used for the handrails. In the event that’s not approved, the city agreed to split the cost of the upgrades with the CEDC.

Paving bids were considered for work being done on the east side of town. Bryers Paving had the low big at just over $87,000. The next lowest bid was close to $113,000.

In public comments, Cindy Cockerham address the board about the health and safety hazard of an abandoned house on the southwest corner of Sims and Third street across from Bronco Stadium.

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