This Week

Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

The fate of Hedley’s annual Cotton Festival still hangs the balance following a successful 50th anniversary celebration last Friday and Saturday.

Attendance was better this year than previous years, and Janie Hill with the Hedley Homemakers said she thought the festival went well.

“It was one of the biggest we’ve had as far as people coming back [to Hedley],” Hill said. “If we knew we were going to have that kind of response every year, we could do it again.”

Mary Farris, who organized the Hedley school reunion, said her event saw its largest turn out in ten years, but she’s not sure about the future of the festival, although there will be another reunion next year at Cotton Festival time.

“Some say ‘yes’ and some say ‘no,’ but since we’re having the reunion I think we’ll have something [for the festival,]” Farris said. “We had a super nice time.”

Planning for a possible 51st Cotton Festival is months away as community organizations reflect on this year’s golden anniversary.

The 2001 festival started Friday, October 12, with the Lioness Club kicked things off with a Stew and Chili Supper. Terry Hickey of Hedley was the lucky winner of the quilt that was raffled off at the supper.

On Saturday morning, the Antique Tractor Show got underway. The show was sponsored by the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department, but results were not available at press time. The Lions Club served barbecue to over 250 folks at the Lions Hall for lunch.

The Kiddie Parade followed lunch with “Homeland Defense,” led by Zack, MarLee, and Jasie Sargent and Nathan Hoggatt, winning first place. Branson Cruse and the Howard Family Patriots took second and third place respectively.

In the Grand Parade, the Owens family’s float took first place honors in the float division as well as the overall grand prize. Breanne Chase riding on the tropical float placed second, and the Methodist and Baptist churches’ “Light of the World” float placed third.

Alvie Ray placed first in the decorated vehicle category with Sierra Wheatly placing second, and Elva Davis and the girls placed third.

Tiffany Allen Wilkinson riding in a chariot pulled by a mule placed first in the riding club category. The Khiva Shrine Mule Skinners from Amarillo placed second in that category with “Bubba” Thomas placing third.

The Hedley FFA held Bingo throughout the day at the Senior Citizens Center. Winners of the blackout bingo for two quilts were Mark Montgomery and Michelle Clubb. Brady Montgomery was the winner of a knife that was also given away during a blackout bingo game.

After the parade, an ex-students and ex-teachers reunion was held at the First Baptist Church Activity Center with 223 people registering. The Classes of ’61 and ’67 also held their individual class reunions at the same time. Several teachers were in attendance as well.

Saturday evening, Breanne Chase was crowned the 2001-02 Cotton Queen during the Queen’s Coronation in the Hedley School Gymnasium. Sierra Wheatly was crowned the Cotton Princess. The Queen’s Court included Christmas Murrell, Bobbie Morris, Jennifer Williams, Cassie Moore, and Marissa Wells. Contestants in the Princess contest included Timber Burnam, Tamra Burnam, and Harley Hanes. A presentation of 50 years of Queens was also given during the Coronation.

Mickey Seeman of New Mexico, grandmother of Queen contestant Christmas Murrell, was the winner of the bale of cotton given away at the Queen’s Coronation, which was sponsored by the Hedley Homemakers Club.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen met October 9 in regular session and heard from representatives of the Texas Department of Health regarding public safety issues.

TDH officials John Huss and Robert Badger discussed health issues related to livestock being kept in populated areas. TDH can use state ordinances to protect the public safety regardless of what actions have been taken by municipal authorities. Also, TDH authority is not limited by city boundaries.

Clarendon has had difficultly enforcing its livestock ordinance, and local officials may utilize the TDH to crack down on residents keeping livestock in the city when that situation endangers public health.

In other city business, Kelly Hill requested the city close or fence the non-developed streets between Blocks 72, 81, and 89 in the West End Addition of the city.

Alderman Michael Tibbets moved, seconded by Alderman Smiley Johnson, to close Leroy and Cottage streets and the alleys in the aforementioned area. Tibbets and Johnson voted “aye,” Aldermen Mac Stavenhagen and Billy Jack Land voted “no.” Mayor Tex Selvidge voted “aye.” Stavenhagen expressed concern over the possible future development of land north of Hill’s and future access to that area.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn presented the contract for police protection to the board. The contract, identical to last year’s, was adopted unanimously. The deal will cost the city $100,000 and runs through September of 2002.

The municipal judge contract with Jimmy Johnson was also approved with no changes.

Following a closed session, the board agreed to promote City Clerk Linda Smith to the position of City Secretary effective December 15, 2001, with a salary increase after a six-month probationary period.

Applications for City Clerk were reviewed, and one applicant – Wanda Smith – was interviewed. The board voted on the salary for the clerk’s position.

The aldermen met again Monday evening, October 15, and interviewed ten applicants for city clerk. Alderman Bob Watson said the board narrowed the field to four candidates and will take up the matter again next Monday.

The president of a new Christian college in Amarillo says his institution seems to have a “spiritual connection” to Clarendon’s heritage of education.

Dr. Kyle Huckins, president of the Christian Institute of the West (CIW), says when his college opens next fall it will be the first Christian college to operate in the 26-county Texas Panhandle since Clarendon College became a secular school in 1927.

CC was established in 1898 as a Methodist institution and was upgraded to a senior-level institution in 1926. One year later, politics within the Methodist conference led CC to become a municipal junior college.

Huckins says he finds it interesting that CIW will open 75 years after Clarendon College’s church affiliation ended. He also says the first ACT test scores sent to CIW have come from Clarendon.

“That’s intriguing since we haven’t really been recruiting yet,” Huckins said. “There just seems to be something spiritual going on here.”

CIW will be contacting students in the Donley County area in the coming months, Huckins said.

The Christian Institute of the West, promoted as the Panhandle’s first “modern era” Christian college, is an independent, interdenominational school with 23 different church backgrounds represented on a 30-member leadership team.

According to a press release, the Bible’s tenets will be upheld in all institute instruction. CIW was formed two years ago to provide Christian higher education in professional and liberal arts.

Huckins says he doesn’t plan for his college to compete with the modern Clarendon College and says he looks forward to working together with all area junior colleges. He said CIW will allow students to transfer 18 to 36 junior college hours, including vocational and training classes, toward their degrees.

Early voting for this year’s general election starts Monday in the Donley County Clerk’s office and continues through November 2, 2001.

Voters across the state will decide 19 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. Residents of Senate District 30, which includes Donley County, will also fill the vacant seat of the late Sen. Tom Haywood.

Four Republicans, one Democrat, and one Independent are running to finish Haywood’s term. They are Rick Bunch (I), Craig Estes (R), Doug Jeffrey (R), Harry Reynolds (R), Greg L. Underwood (D), and Kirk Wilson (R).

The clerk’s office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The general election will be Tuesday, November 6.

Leon Church, County Agent

Susan Combs, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, has asked the County Extension Agents across Texas to get a message out to all agricultural producers to be vigilant in these troubled times.

We in agriculture have always known that a safe, reliable food supply has been an important part of national defense. In light of the tragic events in New York and Washington, D.C., and with federal officials voicing concern about the potential for other domestic attacks, an assault on our food supply through either biological weapons or the introduction of a foreign animal or crop disease or pest would be a highly destructive force that could be used against agriculture and America.

While we have been vigilant in the past, now is the time for everyone in agriculture to be even more so. That’s why Combs has formed a Texas Border Food Security Coalition of producer groups and associations to work with their members and to encourage farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses to be on the lookout for any unusual activity including strangers on their farms, ranches, and agribusinesses. This is particularly true in the Texas counties along the border with Mexico.

In addition, Combs has asked members of our agricultural community to follow these added security measures. Maintain a list of all emergency contacts and numbers and post these throughout you operation; review internal security, safety procedures, and provide training to employees; report to local authorities all suspicious activities, vehicles, or persons; report to local authorities all threats on personnel and facilities; report to local authorities all thefts, inventory shortages, or missing products that could pose a public health or safety risk; report to local authorities all burglaries, sabotage to facilities or equipment, and all vandalism or activities that may pose a safety or security risk; report any missing blank documentation or identification cards such as shipping forms; and if you notice unusual occurrence of animal diseases, contact a veterinarian and the Texas Animal Health Commission at 1-800-550-8242.

These are common sense type measures, but ones we need to keep in mind.