This Week

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen met in regular session November 27 in the Board Room of City Hall.

Mark White was sworn in to fill the vacant term of Alderman Smiley Johnson, who moved to Canadian recently.

Levying ad valorem taxes on leased vehicles was discussed. Most aldermen agreed that not taxing leased vehicles while taxing owned vehicles was an inequitable situation that was unfair to those citizens paying the tax.

A motion was made and seconded to pass Ordinance 339 to tax leased motor vehicles. Aldermen Michael Tibbets, Billy Jack Land, Mac Stavenhagen, and White voted yes. Alderman Bob Watson voted against the measure.

Voters in Donley County again chose Craig Estes to be their next State Senator in Tuesday’s run-off election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Tom Haywood.

With 270 of 317 precincts reporting at press time, Estes, a Republican, was leading Democrat Greg Underwood across District 30 by more than 4,000 votes. Local voters chose him by a margin of 93 to 68.

Turnout was low for Tuesday’s polling with barely more than five percent of voters casting ballots locally.

The incoming constable of Donley County’s Precincts 1&2 says he intends to abolish the office that has been the center of controversy over the last year.

“Don’t expect me to buy a badge or wear a gun or answer a call because I’m not coming,” said soon-to-be Constable Gerald Mulanax.

Mulanax, who lives at Howardwick, was appointed to the position during a called session of the commissioners’ court Monday morning. He was the only applicant for the job, which became vacant in September when Constable Jimmy Swinney resigned.

“In the interest of stopping the flack and helping the people of Donley County, I agreed to do it,” Mulanax said. “It just seems to be an unneeded office.”

Mulanax said he has spoken with county officials and understands that there is no money for the office. He also intends to sign an affidavit swearing to that point.

The constable’s office had been vacant for more than 30 years before Swinney won a write-in campaign last November. He took office in January and sued the county in June alleging, among other things, that his $3,170 annual salary was unreasonable. Swinney then resigned his office in September after he failed to become a certified Texas peace officer as required by law.

The lawsuit is still pending, and both parties are awaiting a summary judgment decision from District Judge David McCoy.

The county had considered keeping the office vacant, but County Attorney Pro-tem Kaye Messer said it was possible that a holdover provision in the Texas Constitution would have kept Swinney in office until a successor took over. Since Swinney, by law, was no longer qualified to hold the office, it was questionable if the holdover provision applied to him, Messer said. Commissioners decided to fill the vacancy to avoid that situation.

A proposed amendment on next year’s ballot would give counties the option of declaring constable offices dormant under certain conditions, Messer said. If that amendment passes, Donley County could make the Constable of Precinct 1&2 a dormant office until the people of the county decide it is needed.

Mulanax said he gave a lot of thought to the constable’s office and had even considered running against Swinney when his term was up. Now he just wants to resolve the situation.

“Lets put this thing to bed and stop the controversy,” Mulanax said.

The new constable will be sworn in this Friday at 10 a.m. He will serve until the general election next year.

In other county business Monday, the commissioners’ court approved sending the county treasurer to a training session in Potter County next month and changed the county’s longevity pay policy to include part-time employees who had been employed for several years.

A bid for a new motorgrader for Precinct 3 was accepted from Asco for a total of $144,243 with a buy-back value of $100,323 after five years or 5,000 hours.

The county also approved a one-year lease for a dump truck from Bruckner’s Trucking.

Commissioners also accepted the resignation of Cooperative Extension secretary Lori Leffew effective November 30, 2001. County Judge Jack Hall says the process is underway to replace the county agents who also resigned recently.

Clarendon begins the holiday season in style this weekend as the first Donley County Old Fashioned Christmas celebration gets underway.

The first night of Late Night Shopping kicks off the festivities on Thursday with the downtown businesses staying open until 9:00 p.m. Residents will also get their first peek at the decorated trees that will be auctioned Saturday afternoon. The trees will be viewed at the Downtown Ministry Center from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The Girl Scouts will light the tree at 6:00 p.m. on Friday at the Lions Club. Their annual display which is usually on the Square has been moved to the Lions Club due to the renovation of the Courthouse.

Residents all over the county are also encouraged to light up their houses Friday evening for a grand tour for everyone to enjoy.

Eads Furniture & Appliance will begin the activities on Saturday with a Quilt Show beginning at 8:30 a.m. A variety of beautiful quilts will be on display all day until 5:30 p.m.

The Community Fellowship Church will hold their Breakfast with an Angel from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the Panhandle Community Services Building.

Adults and children are invited to enjoy breakfast foods, sing songs, and hear the Christmas Story told by the angel. The children will be able to make an angel craft and celebrate Jesus’ birthday with a special angel cookie.

The fourth annual Country Christmas Extravaganza craft show will begin at 9:30 that morning at both the Lions Club and Rebecca Lodge. Many area merchants will display their wares, and concessions will be provided.

The Burton Memorial Library will conduct a Book Sale from 9:00 to 1:00 on Saturday and will be serving hot chocolate. Gail Shelton, local author, will also be signing her latest book.

As the local merchants open their doors at 10:00 a.m. that morning, many activities get underway in the Downtown Ministries Center. The Art Club will hold a Cake Walk, and kids can make Christmas crafts. The First Baptist Church will begin their Bake Sale.

Local organizations and businesses have been busy all week decorating trees for the Tree Auction. Viewing and bidding for the silent auction will begin at 10 a.m. with the winners announced at 4 p.m. in the center. Proceeds from the silent auction will benefit each organization or for businesses to use or donate at their discretion.

Santa Claus will make his annual appearance at the library from 10:00 to noon on Saturday. Kids can have their picture made with Santa at that time. Cost is $2 per photo, and proceeds benefit the Friends of the Library.

The Texas Loft Art Exhibit will also open its doors at 10:00 a.m. The show will feature local artists and will be open until 2:00 p.m. The Texas Loft is located at 107 2nd Street in the upstairs of the old Bivens Building.

The Clarendon PTA will be serving lunch and refreshments at the Downtown Ministry Center from 10:00 to 4:00. They will serve your choice of a barbecue sandwich with chips or a bowl of delicious chili and crackers, a drink, and a homemade dessert for $4.50 per serving. 

The Donley County-Clarendon Chamber of Commerce and the Donley County Tourism Council will hold an Open House from 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. Register to win a $25 gift certificate redeemable at any chamber member business. Drawings begin at 11 a.m. and will be held every hour on the hour. Medical Center Nursing Home Recipes and Remembrances Cookbooks will be available for sale at the chamber office.

Ten churches and four homes will be featured this year during the Tour of Churches and Tour of Homes Saturday.

The Tour of Churches will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at 2:00 p.m.. The Tour of Homes will be open from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Maps for each tour will be available at Burton Memorial Library, the Downtown Ministry Center, or at the craft show. There is no charge for the tours.

Several local businesses around town will be holding Open Houses and in-store specials for this weekend. Residents are urged to support their local businesses by shopping at home.

KEFH-FM will host a live remote broadcast throughout the day from Eads Furniture & Appliance. Joburta Helms will present a special program at 3:30 at the Downtown Ministry Center.

Residents of Donley County are urged to light up again on Saturday evenings beginning at 6:00 p.m. for everyone to enjoy. 

The Donley County VFW Post will hold a special bingo Saturday night beginning at 7:00 in the VFW Hall. Special prizes will be awarded if 50 entry packs are sold. Kids will be permitted to play with their parent. Concessions will also be available.

You could win $5,000 at the annual Saints’ Roost Museum Christmas Party if your ticket is the last one drawn that night. The party begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center. Tickets are $50 per couple and are available at Henson’s or from any museum board member.

Voters in Texas Senate District 30 will return to the polls next Tuesday, December 4, for a run-off election to determine the late Sen. Tom Haywood’s successor – Republican Craig Estes or Democrat Greg Underwood.

Early voting started this Monday in the county clerk’s office and will continue through 5 p.m. Friday.

Ballots can be cast from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. next Tuesday, and County Clerk Fay Vargas says some precinct boxes have been consolidated for the run-off. Ballot boxes are as follows: Boxes 101, 102, & 103 – Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center; Box 201 – Clarendon Lions Club; Boxes 301, 302, & 303 – Hedley Lioness Club; and Boxes 401 & 402 – Community Bank.

Clarendon’s Nancy Taylor donated 268 stuffed toys to the local Toys For Tots campaign Monday afternoon.

She began collecting the toys in March, winning many of them out of a vending machine at B&R Thriftway with others being given to her by local citizens. This is Taylor’s second year to make a large donation, and she has more than tripled what she gave last year.

“I do it to help the kids who are not fortunate enough to have Christmas,” she said. “It makes me feel good to do things for the kiddos.”

She also said she appreciates all those who helped her gather the toys. Toys For Tots is sponsored by Chamberlain Motor Co. and the US Marine Corps. Donations can be made at Chamberlain’s until December 18, and the toys will be distributed locally by Panhandle Community Services.

Tickets are on sale now for the annual Saints’ Roost Museum Benefit Christmas Party to be held Saturday, December 1, at the Clarendon Community Center.

Cost is $50 per couple and each ticket has the chance to win $5,000. You need not be present to win.

Serving starts at 7:30 p.m., and the party goes on until 12:30 a.m. Live music will provided by the “Coming On” band from Oklahoma.

Get your ticket today at Henson’s by calling 806-874-3517 or come by the Enterprise office.

After several years of writing during lunch hours and wee hours, Clarendon resident and part-time newspaper columnist Gail Shelton has achieved a long-term dream. She had a book accepted for publication by a major New York publisher, and it’s out on the bookshelves now.

Hide-and-Sheikh, by Gail Dayton (Shelton’s nom de plume), is published by Silhouette for their Desire line.

Silhouette is part of Harlequin Publishing, a company which publishes what are known as series or category romance, feminine descendants of the old dime novels. New books go out on the shelves every month as the previous month’s books are usually removed to make room.

Shelton wrote her first story in fourth grade about a cat, if she’s remembering correctly, but didn’t get serious about publication until about five years ago when she finished her first novel manuscript. Hide-and-Sheikh was the 8th she completed.

In Hide-and-Sheikh, a female bodyguard is tapped to locate the AWOL son of a visiting sheikh. When she succeeds, it begins a game of one-upmanship that quickly escalates into more than either of them is prepared for, including Islamic terrorists targeting the hero.

“This book is pure romantic fantasy. Brain candy, for lack of a better word,” Shelton said. “If you need a break from your life, this is a great way to spend a few hours in another, really fun, place.”

Shelton will have a book signing at Burton Memorial Library this coming Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.