Live on Stage!
Casting Crowns draws record crowd to Sandell; Blake Shelton to be on screen Saturday
The Sandell Drive-In is planning another big concert event on July 25 after this past weekend’s Casting Crowns performance drew an enormous crowd to Clarendon.
Drive-in owner John Morrow estimates that about 1,000 people came to see the Christian band on stage Saturday night. The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce handed welcome bags to 196 cars, and most cars had four to six people each with most of those coming from out of town.
Country music star Blake Shelton headlines this Saturday’s on-screen concert with special appearances by Gwen Stefani and Trace Adkins.
The concert experience will deliver a front-row look at the world’s most iconic recording artists to fans across North America. The series kicks off on July 25 with an all-new performance featuring Blake Shelton, who will be joined by very special guests Gwen Stefani and Trace Adkins. Tickets for the show are on sale at ticketmaster.com/encore-blakeshelton. More information is available at encorenights.com or visit the Sandell’s Facebook page.
Encore Drive-In Nights is promoting the show that will air at drive-in and outdoor theaters across the United States and Canada. These all-new performances will be filmed exclusively for each one-night-only event, and include cinematic interviews and storytelling.
The Encore Drive-In Nights series is presented by leading event production company Encore Live. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, drive-in theaters have proven to be a safe, creative way to deliver fans world-class entertainment thanks to their ability to engage and delight large groups of people in open-air layouts.
Fans will experience the Encore Drive-In Nights presents Blake Shelton with Very Special Guests Gwen Stefani and Trace Adkins concert feature and additional Encore Drive-In Nights shows from the safety of their personal vehicles. Drive-in theaters hosting the Encore Drive-In Nights will adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended guidelines as well as all state and local health mandates. Staff will wear personal protective equipment and enforce at least six feet of space between cars. The series will also use contactless payment and ticketing systems and limit capacity in restrooms. Guidelines around concessions will be enforced to abide by individual state regulations. For a full list of procedures that the Encore Drive-In Nights is employing to keep fans and staff safe, visit encorenights.com.
“This is such a great way to enjoy music with your family and friends and stay safe,” said Shelton. “I’m excited we’re getting the chance to perform a concert for fans and we’re going to go back and play old hits like “Austin,” newer songs like “God’s Country” and we might even introduce something brand new! So fill up those popcorn tubs and get ready for some country music!”
Unlike traditional concert tickets that are bought for individual admission, each ticket for the Encore Drive-In Nights admits one passenger car or truck That means up to six family members or friends can enjoy these exciting experiences together for one low cost.
CC employees to see raises in new budget
Most Clarendon College employees will receive a raise following action taken by the Board of Regents at its regular meeting last Thursday, July 16.
Regents approved approximately $114,500 in total raises, funded by a $7 per hour increase in tuition the board approved in February, according to President Tex Buckhaults.
Under the pay increase plan, college employees making less than $14.50 per hour will receive a one dollar per hour increase. Employees making above that will receive a three percent increase. Employees who have just been recently hired or who have recently received a raise as a result of a promotion or title change will not see an increase under the plan, according to the president.
In other college business, the board accepted the resignation of Regent Lon Adams, which also created a vacancy in the position of vice chairman of the board. Board members moved to name Regent Edwin Campbell to serve as vice chairman.
Campbell reminded the board that Regent Jerry Woodard had previously had to step down as chairman due to a conflict of interest, referring to a January 2018 letter from the Southern Association of Colleges & Universities – Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC), which found Woodard had a conflict while employed as president of Herring Bank, which holds the college’s depository.
Individuals with conflicts can serve on the board but cannot hold an office on the board, according to SACS-COC.
Campbell said when Woodard’s situation came up, it was discussed that Campbell himself had a conflict with his son’s business relationship with the college and with his brother-in-law employed by the company who manages the college’s investments. Campbell said last week that his son is no longer affiliated with the company that does business with the college, but that he would like a determination about the position of his brother-in-law.
Buckhaults said Tuesday that he hopes to have a determination this week from the college’s attorney and SACS-COC about Campbell’s situation. Regents are scheduled to meet again this Friday, July 24, to consider the vice chairman’s position as well as the vacant position formerly held by Adams.
Also last week, regents met in closed session for about 15 minutes to discuss real estate but took no action upon returning to open session.
The board ratified the hiring of Jay Bradley as assistant men’s basketball coach and Kae Hewett as the college comptroller. Regent Darlene Spier voiced concerns about Hewett’s lack of higher education finance experience and said the last two people in that position had also not had higher education finance experience. Vice President Brad Vanden Boogaard said Hewett is a CPA who had impressed the committee and who would be mentored by Buckhaults about higher education finances.
The board also ratified the reassignment of Chancey King as the college’s new admissions coordinator.
In his president’s report, Buckhaults said the classes will resume on campus this fall with several steps being considered in light of the COVID-19 situation. The new budget is being built on with 220 students planned in the dorms, down from a max occupancy of 288. Buckhaults said Southwest Hall will be closed unless the space is needed.
The president also said that the NJCAA has cancelled fall competitions, including volleyball and the start of winter basketball. Those sports can still hold practice and have scrimmages however.
Six new cases of COVID-19 confirmed
Six new cases of COVID-19 were reported by local officials in Donley County this week.
Donley County Judge John Howard, MD, said testing of 86 people by the Texas National Guard last Tuesday resulted in two positive cases.
Howard noted that these were asymptomatic people who tested positive.
“It’s all around us,” Howard said of the virus. “Take care of yourselves and take care of other people.”
State officials reported one new case, which had been tested outside of the county, Howard said.
Clarendon Family Medical Center reported three new positive cases, and two cases at the clinic were still pending as the Enterprise went to press.
The new confirmed cases bring Donley County’s total positives to 40 with 34 of those listed as recovered.
Youth adventure
Jackson defeats Winegarner for GOP nomination
Following Tuesday night’s primary run off elections, Republican Ronny Jackson will face Democrat Gus Trujillo this November for the 13th Congressional seat being vacated by US Rep. Mac Thornberry of Clarendon.
The overall district winners mirrored the local results. Jackson was the choice of Donley County Republicans 329-272 over Josh Winegarner. Local Democrats favored Trujillo 20-5 over Greg Sagan.
Local Republicans also favored incumbent Larry Doss over Steven Denney, 326-203, for the 7th Court of Appeals nomination. Doss also won the nomination overall.
Local Democrats also followed the state in preferring MJ Hegar to Royce West, 18-11 to face US Senator John Cornyn in the fall; and they likewise followed their state party trend in voting for Chrysta Castaneda over Beto Alonzo, 24-5, as their candidate for Railroad Commissioner.
Pool progress
Sandell to host Casting Crowns July 18
Casting Crowns hasn’t gotten to perform on stage in about four months, but that all changes this week as the Grammy-award winning Christian rock band begins their Drive-In Theatre Tour and performs in Clarendon Saturday, July 18.
Brian Scoggin, the lead drummer for Casting Crowns since 2009, told the Enterprise Tuesday that the band is looking forward to getting back on stage.
“We’ve recorded some stuff on tape, but this will be our first time on stage since early March,” Scoggin said. “We’re ready to knock the rust off and perform again.”
The group’s tour starts July 15 in Fayetteville, Ark., followed the next day by a performance in Tulsa, Okla., before coming to Clarendon on Saturday.
Scoggin said Casting Crowns were in the midst of their normal spring tours when COVID-19 hit and shut down the concert business. Then a promoter friend of theirs came up with the idea of getting them to perform in drive-in theatres, a venue the group had never played before.
“This is a totally new thing for us,” Scoggin said, “but it’s going to be a good night. People are ready to get out and worship the Lord.”
Even though Clarendon is a small population compared to some of the tour stops, Scoggin says they are used to playing concerts where the attendance can outsize the location of the community.
“People will show up to worship God, and they will come not just from Clarendon but from the entire area,” Scoggin said.
Casting Crowns, led by Mark Hall, started in Florida in 1999 and eventually grew in popularity and became multi-platinum award winners for their faith-based music. Scoggin says Hall is still the lead writer for the group.
“Mark is the songwriter, and it all comes from his work with church and his youth group,” Scoggin said. “God has given him that ability to speak like that.”
Saturday’s concert will be an entirely new combination of music, Scoggin said.
“We will have a good mix of songs by us that people have gravitated to in the past,” he said. “We also pulled out some songs from our catalog that are just fitting for the times we’re in.”
Scoggin joined the band ten years after it started. He said he knew of the band from its beginning but said their paths didn’t cross for several years.
“It was a life changer,” he said of joining the group. “I had to adjust to working weekends and being home during the week. We started homeschooling our kids. But it’s just been amazing how the Lord has blessed me and blessed others.”
The Casting Crowns concert is promoted by Awakening Events, founded by Dan Fife.
“When we began discussing the Drive-In Theater series and which artists made the most sense, Casting Crowns was an immediate YES,” Fife said in a concert release. “We’ve had a long history of successful shows with Casting Crowns. The powerful way in which their music impacts people is something that is needed in this season. I’m honored that the Casting Crowns’ team has decided to join us on this exciting new journey, taking live music to the people, on the Drive-In Theater Tour Series.”
All dates on the Drive-In Theater Tour will comply with local guidelines related to Covid-19. “We’ve heard the demands from our fans, and we’re working hard to bring live music back to as many locations as possible,” said Curtis Pinkerton, director of Marketing at Awakening Events.
Tickets for the tour will again be sold by the car load (up to 6 people per car) starting at $100 per car. A full list of cities and dates for the tour is available at www.awakeningevents.com or www.driveintheatertour.com. For more information, visit the Sandell’s Facebook page.
National Guard tests 86 for COVID-19
Two new cases were added to the positive COVID-19 results by the Clarendon Family Medical Center this week, bringing the total positives to 27.
Two other cases were classified as recovered on Tuesday, which made the current active cases total five. Two cases were pending.
The Texas National Guard held a walk-up testing at the Bulldog Gym at Clarendon College Tuesday. Donley County Judge John Howard, MD, reported that a total of 86 tests were conducted.
Results of the National Guard tests are expected to be available by the end of the week, Howard said.
Speaking at Monday night’s town hall meeting, Howard encouraged people to get tested the next day.
“Two weeks ago we had zero active cases, now we have six,” Howard said Monday and wondered aloud if there might have been silent spread of the virus after the Fourth of July.
He also addressed those who say more testing leads to more positives.
“I’m a scientist; I prefer more information over a lack of information,” Howard said.
Billie Sue Warren Powers Nivens
Billie Sue Warren Powers Nivens was born December 31, 1923, to Drew R. Warren and Dora Mae Warren in Hollis, Oklahoma. She was 96 years of age when she passed due to complications suffered from a broken hip.
She had two brothers Carl Warren of Dallas and B.W Warren of Pampa who both preceded her in death. When she was three years of age they moved to Duke, Oklahoma and she attended all 12 years of school in Duke.
On October 12, 1940, she married Raymond Powers. To this union were born three children, Ramona Vaughn, Karen DuMond and Jimmy Powers. Jimmy preceded his Mother in death on May 21, 2012.
She married Cecil “Jack” Nivens on May 22, 1982, in Hedley and lived there until after his death on January 16, 2001. In 2003 Sue moved to Mesquite, Texas. to live with her daughter, Karen and son-in-law David DuMond. In February 2008 they relocated to Holley Lake Ranch, Texas. In September 2016 she relocated to Denton where her daughter Ramona and son-in-law Walter lived and resided at Mayberry Gardens Assisted Living Facility.
She is survived by her daughters, Ramona Vaughn and husband Walter of Shady Shores, Texas, Karen DuMond and husband David of Weatherford, Oklahoma. and daughter-in-law, Tammie Powers of Lubbock, Grandchildren: Deborah Tolle of McKinney; Mike Tolle & wife Amber of Sanger, Texas.; Kylie Powers & Kendall Powers of Lubbock, Great grandchildren: Jake Thompson of Sanger; Savana Manchester & husband, Matt of Denton, McKenna Moses of McKinney; Great Grandchildren Natalie Tolle & Joe Don Tolle of Sanger, Hayden, & Coaly Powers of Lubbock & Great-Great Grandchild Elijah Manchester of Denton. There are several cousins and many friends and loved ones. She will be sorely missed.
Sue loved gardening and cooking for her family and friends. She was an active member of the Baptist Church where she was currently living, but maintained her membership at First Baptist Church in Hedley. She was also a member of the Eastern Star at Hedley. She was known all over for her love and ability to play Skip-bo.
Bruce Howard, Pastor First Baptist Church in Hedley will officiate the Graveside service at Rowe Cemetery in in Hedley. Under the direction of DeBerry Funeral Directors of Denton.
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