This Week

By Paula K. Davis

The sixth annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff will be held this Saturday, September 23, on location at the Saints’ Roost Museum.

This year’s proceeds will be going toward the effort of restoring the historic Ft. Worth & Denver City Depot.

“The reason for all of the fundraisers is to help raise the money to preserve the heritage from this part of the country,” said cookoff chairperson Judi Synek.

The depot was built in the late 19th century and was moved to the museum grounds in the old Adair Hospital four years ago to prevent the railroad from tearing it down.

In an effort to improve the depot, the museum board applied for and received a $159,900 matching grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. The museum board must raise $40,100 to match the grant.

Willard Skelton, treasurer of the Saints’ Roost Museum, said approximately $18,000 has already been raised with the help of donations from the community and other anonymous donors from various states.

“With these donations and the addition of our certificate of deposit, we will have over the matching amount,” Skelton said.

The cookoff will begin at 8 a.m. with breakfast and lunch being served by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.

The trade show will begin at 10 a.m., and museum tours will be provided throughout the day. Trade booths have been reserved for Kenneth Wyatt Galleries, blacksmith Keith Latham, silversmith Jack Craft, and other Western and Native American exhibitors.

The entertainment starts at 11 a.m. and includes the Clarendon College praise band Forgiven, the CHS Fellowship of Christian Athletes Choir, the Methodist youth praise band EZRA, the Saints’ Roost Band, Dale Burson, and cowboy poet Billy Reeves.

Twelve wagons are confirmed to attend the cookoff this year to compete for top prizes. There is no admission charge to the all day event.

The authentic Chuckwagon supper will be served at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at Henson’s or by calling 806/874-3517. Tickets for a hot dog for children under age 6 can be obtained at the Chamber of Commerce booth for $2.

Other activities include cowboy church, which will be held Sunday morning under the tent at the museum. Johnny Burson of Silverton and Owen Noble of Wayland will conduct the services.

The Saints’ Roost Museum and the depot building is located off Hwy 70 South in Clarendon. For a complete entertainment schedule, see the ad on page three of this issue.

All former Clarendon Bronchos (or Broncos if you prefer) are invited to an All-School Reunion during the homecoming weekend.

The reunion kicks off on Friday with the pep rally at 2:30 p.m. in the Bronco Gym. A Mexican pile-on supper will be held at the school cafeteria at 5 p.m., and tickets are $5.50.

All the classes will meet in the Old Gym at 6:15 p.m. where they will walk to Broncho Stadium as a group. Following the game, there will be a dance at the Community Center.

On Saturday, September 23, coffee and donuts will be served at JAMZ at 10 a.m.  Immediately following, the group will be taking a tour of the high school and new gym.

Saturday evening, reunion goers can enjoy the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff at 5 p.m.

For those who don’t want chuckwagon cuisine, a steak dinner will be held at the Bar H Dude Ranch at 6 p.m.  Tickets are $10 each. 

The reunion will conclude Sunday with Cowboy Church at the museum at 8 a.m.

For more information, contact Janie Finch at 806-874-2682, Pat White at 806-874-9908, or Reneé Betts at 806-874-3913.

The Donley County Memorial Post 7782 and its Ladies Auxiliary in conjunction with the National Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US Get Out and Vote 2000 program will sponsor a Meet the Candidates Night October 16, 2000, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bairfield Activity Center at Clarendon College.

All candidates seeking public office have been invited to attend.  This year’s moderator will be Mr. Joe Davis, General Manager of KLSR Radio in Memphis. 

This event is free to the public, and refreshments will be served.

Come and hear what your candidates have to say about the future of Donley County.

A skunk caught in Clarendon has been confirmed to have rabies. 

Billy Holman, City Animal Control Officer, and Dr. Guy Ellis, Clarendon Veterinary Hospital, want to warn citizens of a possible outbreak of rabies in our area.

Residents are asked to make sure their pet’s vaccinations are current to prevent the spread of the disease.  Rabies shots are available at the Clarendon Veterinary Hospital.

If you see a rabid animal, you should call City Hall during normal business hours or the Donley County Sheriff’s Office after hours.

Jimmy Swinney of Clarendon filed last week as a write-in candidate for constable of Donley County Precincts 1&2. The position has been vacant for about three decades.

According to the county clerk’s office, Swinney filed for the office Thursday, September 7, and paid a $300 filing fee. No other candidate filed for the position. The last person to run for the office was R.C. Hill in 1968.

“The position has been vacant all this time,” said County Judge Jack Hall. “No one has ever run for it.”

The county cannot abolish the office on its own, Hall said. It would take an amendment to the state constitution to do that.

Swinney says he’s known about the position for about ten years and is running to fill a need in local law enforcement.

“Howardwick and that area has very little law enforcement, and that would be a good place to start,” Swinney said.

“The job would also bring a lot of lost revenue in to the county.”

According to Swinney, approximately 360 warrants and subpoenas have not been served by the Donley County Sheriff’s Department.

“The law says the constable will serve warrants, subpoenas, and tax notices,” he said.

County officials, however, say they don’t know where the candidate got his numbers.

Jimmy Johnson, Justice of the Peace for Precincts 1&2, said there are some warrants that haven’t been served but that he has never tallied them to see how many. Some of the warrants are traffic warrants for people who live in places like Houston and are not easily deliverable, Johnson said.

Sheriff Jimmy Thompson said his office only has about 105 warrants that have not been served, many of which are out of county or out of state.

“We can’t extradite out of state on a misdemeanor charge,” Thompson said. “And I’m not going to take a two-day trip to Houston for a $100 fine.”

Thompson said some of the warrants have incorrect addresses and some are for people who have jumped bond, which is the responsibility of the bond company. He also said the sheriff’s department does not serve warrants for the Department of Public Safety.

The sheriff reacted strongly to Swinney’s assertion that Howardwick does not receive adequate law enforcement, saying officers patrol that community at least three times a day.

Thompson invited anyone who has questions about outstanding warrants or the record of his office to come by the sheriff’s office anytime to discuss it.

Another issue is where the money will come from to fund another constable in the county.

The commissioners’ court this week approved $28,083.98 for the constable of Precincts 3&4 in the fiscal 2001 budget, but Judge Hall said there is no provision for a constable in Precincts 1&2.

Swinney said the county should have planned to fund the office.

“They’ve known for three months that I was going to do this, but they chose not to believe it,” he said. “Now they’ve got a problem.”

Judge Johnson says a constable could be an asset to his office.

“I feel like if there was a constable, it would be beneficial and could relieve the sheriff’s office,” Johnson said. “But I am not campaigning for or against the position. That’s up to the citizens to decide.”

Swinney is US Navy veteran and is the head of the local VFW post. He says he is a certified peace officer and was with the Amarillo Police Department from 1966 to 1970.

Since Swinney is the only candidate for the constable’s office, he will be elected if he receives just one vote in the general election this November.

Clarendon High School was awarded a $75,000 grant by the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) Board for technology advancement last week.

The TIF money, which comes from a fee assessed on telephone bills, will be used to update the small computer lab at the high school, and all classrooms will each be wired to accommodate four computers.

Principal Larry Jeffers said the grant will help keep CHS current with changing technology.

“It helps particularly when technology is advancing so fast,” Jeffers said.

CHS students are being introduced to modern technology and high-speed Internet access so that technology will be a medium through which work, play, research, and tasks are made easier and done more efficiently.

The Non-Competitive Grant for Texas Public Schools was designed to allow public schools to apply for technology advancement or distance learning grants.  These grants will fund up-to-date hardware and connectivity equipment, high-speed workstations, Internet access, or videoconferencing systems so that students may take classes from another campus or a college.

“The reason I got into education was to see students learn and succeed,” Jeffers said.  “Most of our students today are more proficient with a computer than many of the adults.  They are the future of Texas; and because technology is becoming a part of their everyday lives, they are progressively becoming more marketable and knowledgeable as they move into the future.”

Since its creation by the 74th Legislature in 1995, TIF has awarded $487 million in telecommunications infrastructure grants to schools, libraries, institutions of higher education, and not-for-profit healthcare facilities. The agency receives approximately $150 million per year in revenues from the telecommunications assessments to disburse over a ten years.

The First United Methodist Church of Clarendon is inviting everyone in the community and surrounding area to attend a special dedication concert for the church’s refurbished pipe organ this Sunday evening, September 17, at 7:30.

The Hillgreen-Lane pipe organ was originally installed 82 years ago in September 1918.

Over the last several months, the organ has under gone a complete reconditioning to bring back the instrument’s original capabilities. In addition, a Rodgers digital organ has been incorporated with the original, taking its abilities to new heights.

Demonstrating the refurbished organ in concert will be Eleanor Whitsett of Bethany, Okla.

Whitsett is a graduate from Asbury College with a major in piano and was a featured performer at Asbury’s centennial celebration. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City with a major in organ performance. She has also done graduate work at the University of Southern California at Oklahoma City University.

Whitsett studied improvisation at the Summer Academy for Organ at Haarlem, the Netherlands, and also studied organ and improvisation in Herford, Germany. She is a member of the American Guild of Organists, has conducted workshops and given recitals sponsored by the organization, and is a past dean of the Oklahoma City chapter. She is also a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

In May, Whitsett retired as Adjunct Professor of Organ and Church Music at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, where she had served since 1974.

“We are excited to have Ms. Whitsett here for this performance,” said Methodist pastor Rev. James Ivey Edwards. “We wish to share her talent as well as the wonderful sounds that will come from our new organ with the entire community. Please plan to join us.”

State Sen. Tom Haywood (R-Wichita Falls) will be the keynote speaker this Friday, September 15, when the newly constructed Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Donley County Maintenance Facility is formally dedicated.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation, and TxDOT are inviting all area residents to attend the dedication and open house from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the facility one mile west of Clarendon on US 287.

US Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) is also expected to attend.

Donley County Maintenance Supervisor Steve Smith will serve as master of ceremonies for the day. The invocation will be given by Truman Ledbetter, minister of the First Baptist Church.

The Texas Department of Public Safety will raise the flag, and the CHS Bronco Band will play the national anthem and “Texas, Our Texas.”

Smith will then give the welcome and introduce special guests. Sen. Haywood will follow up with comments.

Following the ceremonies, tours of the new facility will be given and refreshments served.