This Week

A band of thieves distracted a local merchant and stole more than $2,000 worth of merchandise last week.

Terri Floyd of Every Nook and Cranny said a group of three men and three women passed by her store on Kearney Street last Wednesday afternoon and looked in the windows while she was helping some customers.

“I noticed them looking inside, but then they walked on down the street,” Floyd said.

When the customers left at about 3 p.m., the group of six came back, and Floyd said she could tell something wasn’t right.

“I just felt like they were going to do something; I didn’t know what,” she said.

One of the group said they were from Pampa, and another said they were “just passing through.” That didn’t bother Floyd too much as several tourists had been in the shop that day. But some of the group did behave oddly, by staring at the shopkeeper to keep her on edge.

One of the women brought an $8 candle to the counter and asked Floyd to wrap it, which meant she had to go to the back of the store.

“I just grabbed a bag and some tissue paper and came right back to the front,” Floyd said.

At that point four of the people went out the door while the others visited with the shopkeeper. When they left, Floyd immediately noticed two watches missing and went to the door. She said two of the people got in a champagne colored SUV, and the others got in another vehicle. The SUV didn’t have a front tag, so she was unable to get a license number.

The entire hit had taken less than ten minutes, Floyd said.  She called the sheriff’s office at 3:15 and then called other local merchants to alert them.

After doing an inventory, the store lost an estimated $2,300 worth of merchandise in jewelry, cologne, and accessories.

“We’ve had a few things taken in the past, but we have never had a hit like this,” she said. “We’re prepared now with emergency phone numbers and will have more staff in the store.”

The theft was particularly hard since the business, formerly known as The Nook, had been closed for 2½ months for remodeling. Floyd said they had just been re-opened for a week and a half when the robbery occurred.

The same group of people were spotted in Poor Boy’s Antiques and were reportedly seen on the sidewalk near Henson’s.

No other business has reported being shoplifted by this group, but authorities are hoping that someone saw them. All six were Hispanic in appearance and in their mid 30s. They all appeared to be very clean cut.

Chief Deputy Butch Blackburn said the sheriff’s office alerted Memphis and Claude to watch for the thieves’ vehicle to no avail.

Teletypes were sent to all law enforcement agencies in the Panhandle to see if any other community had either seen the thieves or if there were any other reports of the same modus operandi. As of Monday afternoon, there had been no response to the teletypes.

All local businesses should be aware of this tactic and watch for it.

If anyone saw this band of criminals, please call the Donley County Sheriff’s Office at 874-3533.

By Paula K. Davis, Clarendon Enterprise

The Ericksdahl Cattle Co. wagon from Stamford was the first place winner in the overall cooking category at the sixth annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday.

Twelve wagons were scheduled to compete at the event

 
Page Riggs of Stamford cooks up chicken fried steaks at the Ericksdahl Cattle Co. Wagon last Saturday during the sixth annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff in Clarendon. In back, Jay Hager batters up the next batch of steaks. The wagon won the best overall cooking award.
Enterprise Digital Photo
 
 held at the Saints’ Roost Museum, but only ten wagons showed up.

“One of the reasons for the decrease of wagons is the dry weather that is taking place in Texas,” said museum board member Janet Cooper.

The drought meant some wagon owners could not afford to make the trip. Pre-sold tickets for wagons that didn’t show were honored by other wagons and at the Chamber of Commerce’s concession booth.

The event was considered a success, and the afternoon turnout was very good thanks in part to the homecoming reunions for Clarendon High School alumni.

“The turnout was great, and a lot of people came out to eat and enjoy the events,” said Billy Joe McFall, head cook of the McFall Wagon.

The all-day affair was kicked-off with breakfast provided by the Chamber of Commerce, and entertainment was provided throughout the day by local and area talent. A Western trade show was also held on the museum grounds, and museum tours were provided by members of the Clarendon High School Junior Historians.

For their first place overall cooking award, the owners of the Ericksdahl wagon took home $400. Second place went to the J Bar D Wagon from Amarillo, and third place went to last year’s winner, the Darsey Wagon of McLean. The Noble Wagon of Wayland and the McFall Wagon from Pampa tied for fourth place.

The Darsey Wagon won the best wagon and camp award. Second place went to the McFall Wagon, and the Wild Cow Ranch Wagon of Fritch was third. Ericksdahl and B Bar S tied for fourth.

Other results were as follows: Best Meat – 1) Noble Wagon, 2) Ericksdahl Cattle Co., 3) Carrita De Gallo Wagon of Clovis, NM, 4) Weems Cattle Co. of Amarillo; Best Beans – 1) Wild Cow Ranch, 2) Darsey Wagon, 3) McFall Wagon, 4) Carrita De Gallo; Best Bread – 1) Darsey Wagon, 2) J Bar D Wagon, 3) Noble Wagon, 4) Ericksdahl; Best Dessert – 1) J Bar D Wagon, 2) Ericksdahl, 3) Wild Cow Ranch, and 4) McFall Wagon.

To be able to compete in the Chuckwagon cookoff, wagons had to be historically correct, authentically restored, or authentic replicas. Rubber-tired wagons and iron-wheeled farm wagons were not allowed.

The wagons had to be equipped with a complete brake system, a spring seat had to be mounted on the wagon, and a complete wooden tongue assembly also had to be present.

Wagons had to have one set of team harness displayed on the tongue, four or five wooden wagon bows mounted on the wagon, and an old style chuckbox and toolbox. The campsite appearance had to be authentic, and the cooks had to dress historically correct. All food had to be cooked over wood-burning fires.

Cookoff trail boss Judi Synek said the event had great support from the community, and she expressed her appreciation for everyone who attended or had anything to do with the success of the cookoff.

A two-vehicle collision west of Clarendon sent four people, including one local man, to the hospital last Thursday, September 21.

According to the Department of Public Safety, a red Honda driven by 42-year-old James Taylor of Lawton, Okla., was westbound on US 287 when Bill Mooring of Clarendon attempted to cross the highway en route to FM 1260 at approximately 3:50 p.m. Taylor’s vehicle struck Mooring’s GMC truck in the passenger side, trapping the Oklahoma man and his family in the car.

“Mr. Mooring said he didn’t see the car coming,” DPS Cpl. Chad Grange said Monday.

Emergency personnel used the Jaws of Life to rescue Taylor, his 39-year-old wife Patricia, and his 19-year-old son Jeremy.

Mrs. Taylor was airlifted to Northwest Texas Hospital. The other three persons in the wreck were transported to Northwest Texas by the Associated Ambulance Authority.

Grange said everyone was wearing safety belts, and Mooring was issued a citation for failing to yield the right of way.

Mooring was treated and released from the hospital. DPS didn’t know the Taylors’ condition at press time.

Increasing prices and a regulatory ruling have caused the City of Clarendon to scale back a project to replace water lines in the west central part of town.

The city had received a $248,034 Community Development grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Urban Development to install more than 9,600 feet of PVC water lines.

Dwight Brandt of Brandt Engineering in Amarillo is the city’s engineer for the project. He said the TNRCC has reinterpreted a guideline in such a way that replacement water lines must be at least nine feet from existing sewer lines.

Local alleys are supposed to be 20 feet wide, and some of the sewer lines in question do not run in a straight line down the center. Also, some residents have fences that are technically in the alleyway. It was therefore not possible to get the required nine-foot space for the line.

Brandt told the Enterprise that the issues with the sewer lines, coupled with an increase in prices and pavement repair costs on Koogle Street (which is a state highway), led to the project being scaled back.

September 19, Clarendon Aldermen approved changes in the water line plans in a called board meeting. Four-inch PVC lines that were to run in the alleys between Third and Fourth streets from Koogle to Parks and between Fourth and Fifth streets between Koogle and Parks were removed from the plans.

The changes have been sent to the state for approval, and Brandt says the city is probably about two months away from bidding the job. He felt like the number of residents that will benefit from the project would not change very much since some water lines are being looped together.

An organizational meeting for a proposed Donley County Wildlife Association will be held Thursday, October 12, 2000, at the Bar H Dude Ranch.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., and the only cost is $7.50 for the meal.

Scott Hohensee, wildlife biologist and owner of the local Terra Rosa Ranch, will conduct the meeting, which is hosted by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.

Alan Heirman of Albany will be the featured speaker for the evening. He has organized similar associations in Shackelford, Throckmorton, and Young counties and is employed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Mr. Heirman will discuss the success of the Shackelford County Wildlife Association, some of their activities, and how they help benefit landowners who have a common interest in the wildlife on their property. He will also discuss how the association helps landowners manage their property better for the benefit of wildlife.

The association will be open to anyone interested in wildlife.

In related news, the chamber of commerce officials are looking into producing a video to promote Donley County’s wildlife to hunters and birders. Another proposed video would promote local motels, restaurants, Greenbelt Lake, local schools, Clarendon College, and the Saints’ Roost Museum.

Those planning to attend the October 12 meeting should RSVP to the Bar H Dude Ranch at 874-2634.