Donley County Social Hour 11
Extension to check pressure canners
Pressure canning season is upon us and Donley County Extension will be hosting a clinic to have your canner gauge checked. Bring your pressure canner by the Donley County Activity Center on Wednesday, July 1st from 12 to 2:30 and they can check it our for you as well as offer canning tips for this years harvest.
COEA confirms rodeo as part of 2020 celebration
Plans for the 2020 Saints’ Roost Celebration continue to shape up with rodeo officials giving final approval to that event Monday night.
Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Assn. President Alex McAnear said the COEA meeting “went well, and we are on go.”
The Junior Rodeo scheduled for Thursday night, July 2, and the Ranch Rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights, July 3 and 4, will be limited to 50 percent capacity with hand sanitation available and six-foot social distancing encouraged, and all rodeo events will go on as usual, except for the dances afterward.
“I think it will be a pretty good crowd,” McAnear said. “I think people are ready to get out.”
McAnear said admission for the rodeo will remain $10 for adults. Thursday night kids age 16 and under can get in for $5, and kids prices on Friday and Saturday are $5 for ages seven to 12 and free for ages six and under.
COEA will also proceed with all the usual kids’ events, including the calf scrambles. There will, however, not be the usual beef drawings this year.
That was also the sentiment of the Al Morrah Shrine Club, which met Monday night as well, and formally voted to proceed with the barbecue on the square Saturday, July 4. Shriners also felt that there could be a good crowd this year.
The barbecue will be set up on the west side of the Courthouse square this year instead of the traditional location on the east side as plans call for spreading booths and activities over the entire square. The Shriners are also making plans for curbside pick-up of barbecue plates on Jefferson Street for senior citizens and others who prefer to avoid the crowd on the Fourth.
Tickets will be $15 per plate, and food will be served to-go style starting about 11 a.m. or as soon as the parade is over. Advanced tickets will be available at the Enterprise or may be purchased on the square July Fourth.
With those changes, the schedule is pretty well set for the 143rd annual celebration July 2, 3, and 4, with the Whistle-Stop Trade Days open July 4 and 5.
The COEA Junior Rodeo will kick off the celebration Thursday, July 2, at 7:30 p.m. followed by the first night of the Ranch Rodeo on Friday, July 3, at the same time. The First Baptist Church confirms there will be no Depression Lunch downtown Friday this year.
The big day will be Saturday, July 4, beginning with the Arts & Craft Fair on the square at 9 a.m. sponsored by the Donley County 4H. Booths must be reserved through the Donley County 4H by calling 806-874-2141.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Old Settlers Reunion and the Kids’ Bicycle & Tricycle Parade, sponsored by Shelton & Shelton Attorneys and Mike’s Pharmacy, will also begin at 9 a.m. The Kids’ Parade will line up at 8:30 at Keith Floyd’s shop at Third and Sully.
Kids’ Parade Chair Kim Fowler is asking all parents to register their kids for the parade online by using the form at https://forms.gle/T9fx5K9mcMCoraMU9. This will streamline the registration process and prevent crowding before the event. Age divisions will be ages 0-4, 5-8, and 9 and up; and once registered online, participants can pick up their entry number from a table for each age division that morning.
Ed Montana will provide music and serve as master of ceremonies on the square.
Line up for the Herring Bank Parade will also start at 9 a.m. with the parade taking off at 10:00. The theme for this year’s parade is “Texas Strong – United We Stand,” and entry forms are available in this week’s Enterprise as well as at the Visitor Center. Entry forms are also available at ClarendonTX.com.
The Herring Bank Parade features $850 in cash prizes with $200 available for the best float, $100 for the best car or truck entry, $100 for the best animal or riding unit, $100 for the best tractor or farm equipment entry, and $100 for the best “other” entry. From those first place winners, judges will select a Grand Prize winner who will receive an additional $250.
Pre-registration and adherence to the theme is required for entrants to be judged for the prize money, and entry forms are due in the Visitor Center by 5 p.m. on July 1. Parade winners will be announced at 1 p.m.
The Henson’s Turtle Race will then take place at 1:30 p.m. And the Ranch Rodeo will close out the day at the COEA Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Other events will be added to the schedule as they are decided or announced. For more information about the celebration, contact the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.
A current schedule summary is as follows:
Thursday, July 2
7:30 p.m. – Jr. Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena
Friday, July 3
All Day – Clarendon Merchants’ Sales
7:30 p.m. – Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena
Saturday, July 4
9:00 a.m. – Craft Fair, Courthouse Square
9:00 a.m. – Kids’ Tricycle/Bicycle Parade
10:00 a.m. – Herring Bank Parade
11:00 a.m. – Shriners’ Barbecue, Courthouse Square
1:30 p.m. – Henson’s Turtle Races
7:30 p.m. – Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena
No new COVID-19 cases since June 3
Five new patients were tested for COVID-19 since last Tuesday by the Clarendon Family Medical Center, but as of the morning of June 16, there had been no new positive cases.
The clinic still has two tests pending, but the number of negative test results has risen to 93, while the positive cases still remains at 27. Twenty-five of the 27 local cases have been reported as being recovered. That leaves two cases presumably still active.
State officials this week were reporting 28 positives for Donley County, but that number is believed to be erroneous, according to the county judge’s office. No new case has been reported to county officials since June 3.
Chamber winner
Sandell to screen Garth Brooks concert June 27
Clarendon’s Sandell Drive-In is just one of only 300 drive-ins across North America that will host a Garth Brooks concert event on June 27 that will be streamed onto the big screen.
The concert will be created exclusively for this event, making this a once in a lifetime experience, and will be the largest ever one-night show to play at outdoor theaters across the United States and Canada.
Sandell owner John Morrow is busy this week working to increase the drive-in’s capacity from 300 vehicles to more than 500 in anticipation of an enormous crowd.
“Because of COVID-19, this is all happening,” Morrow said, referring to social distancing guidelines and restrictions on seating capacities in stadiums and auditoriums. “More events will be coming this summer, including video events like this as well as future live concerts.”
Morrow said the Sandell will not have a movie this weekend as work continues to get ready for the June 27 event, which he says could draw as many as 2,800 to 3,000 people. Such a turnout would be a huge influx of people for the local economy and would blow away any previous attendance record at the drive-in. Morrow said the biggest crowd he’s had since he reopened the Sandell in 2002 was 415 people. Previous owner
Gary Barnhill may have had a bigger crowd than that sometime between 1955 and 1984, but still the vehicle capacity was limited to 300.
The Garth Brooks concert video event will be produced by Encore Live, a leading event production company.
“I am so excited to get to play again. I have missed it so much and want to get back to it,” said Brooks. “This drive-in concert allows us all to get back to playing live music without the uncertainty of what would be the result to us as a community. This is old school, new school, and perfect for the time we are in.”
“Families need safe entertainment options that they can enjoy together this summer,” said Encore Live Founder and CEO Walter Kinzie. “We’re excited to partner with Garth, who’s already done so much to help the entertainment industry during these tough times, to provide a truly unique and incredible concert that will do a whole lot of good for local businesses and communities.”
Tickets will be on sale Friday, June 19, at 11 a.m. central time at Ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks. There, you will also be able to review the drive-in theaters available in your area. The tickets are general admission and of limited availability. Each ticket will cost $100 and will admit one passenger car or truck, and Morrow says you can have as many people in your vehicle as you have seat belts for.
“If you have seven people in a Suburban, that amounts to just over $14 per person,” Morrow said.
The event will take place rain or shine and will begin at dusk.
Morrow said in addition to the Sandell’s famous concession stand, he will have at least two food trucks on hand to help serve the crowd.
Clarendon residents will also want to pay careful attention to the Brooks video because the Sandell is reported to play a role in it.
Morrow said participating drive-ins were invited to submit video clips to the producers and said a clip from the Sandell’s fire-blowing “Miss Fritter” school bus made the cut and impressed Brooks himself so much that he sent a personal message to Morrow, thanking him for his efforts and telling him, “You are the man!”
Donley County Social Hour 10
Claudine Pearson Wood
Claudine Pearson Wood came into this world during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-19, and left it during the recent coronavirus pandemic, June 7, 2020. She was the youngest of nine children, born at home, to John Thomas Pearson and Kathryn Lorena Hill Pearson of Hedley, May 14, 1919. Claudine, Dean to friends, Muchie or Mudgie to grandchildren, spent her early life on the family farm, picking cotton in the fields, riding a mule to school (she didn’t like mules), and helping her mother. Her mother passed away when Dean was eleven years old, and the next few years were chaotic for the youngest children in her family, especially during the Depression. Dean became the first in her family to attend college, having graduated from Clarendon Junior College. She married Arlie Lee Wood, a young rancher, of Clarendon in 1940. To this union was born five children.
In 1962, Arlie and Dean moved their four youngest children to Western Colorado to try to alleviate their youngest daughter’s asthma. Their oldest child, Carole, was already married, and stayed behind in Texas. In 1968, they moved to a farm in the Sargent Community in the San Luis Valley.
Arlie and Dean loved to spend time at Santa Maria Reservoir. Dean didn’t fish, but she was always ready for an adventure. In later years, they bought a Volkswagen camping van and visited all of the lighthouses on the West Coast because she loved lighthouses.
At the age of 90, Dean decided she was going to visit Ireland and that her daughter, Cheryl, was going to take her there. They were always lost, and had many hilarious misadventures, including Dean accidentally locking Cheryl out of the cottage where they were staying. Cheryl had to climb in through a window.
Dean was an accomplished seamstress, making much of her own clothing and that of her daughters. She had a keen sense of humor and a quick wit. Her advice to young brides was to never learn to milk a cow, because then you’ll have to milk the cow. Her mind was sharp up until the end. She was frustrated with her failing body and quipped that Walmart didn’t make parts like they used to. Dean was very disappointed at not getting to have her annual birthday celebration at Calvillos Mexican Restaurant this year. She liked wearing the sombrero.
She could trace her ancestors’ arrival on this continent to the 1630’s in Virginia. As a child of four years, she stayed at the legendary Colonel Charles Goodnight’s home at Goodnight, Texas. He was the co-founder of the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail, a former Texas Ranger, and the inspiration for Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. She said he slept with a revolver under his pillow. Her seventeen-year old brother, Jerry, worked as a cowboy for him.
Arlie passed away in 1988, and Dean sold their farm a few years later. After spending a few years in Albuquerque near her middle son, Randy, and a little time in Richmond, Virginia near her daughter, Carole, Dean moved back to the San Luis Valley for good in 2006.
She is survived by her five children: Carole Morris, Richmond, Virginia; Ron Wood (Clydean), Atlanta, Georgia; Cheryl Scherzer (Owen), Del Norte, Colorado; Randy Wood (Ruth), San Rafael, New Mexico; and Michael Wood (Anne Gimlin), Nederland, Colorado. Also, twelve grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, and her first great great-grandchild, due August, 2020. Nieces, nephews, and many cousins remain.
She was preceded in death by her parents, all of her siblings, her husband of 48 years, Arlie Wood, and her son in-law, Cam Morris.
Arrangements are under the direction of Rogers Family Mortuary in Monte Vista. Private graveside services will be held at Monte Vista Cemetery, Saturday, June 13, 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice. If in Texas, donations to Clarendon College are suggested. To express condolences, please visit www.rogersfunerals.com
Special thanks to the staff of River Valley Inn Nursing Home of Del Norte. They took such good care of her. Dean loved it there, and staff members became a second family to her.
2020 Saints’ Roost Celebration plans move forward
Clarendon is getting ready to host a glorious Independence Day as organizers of the 143rd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration are moving forward with the event.
Social distancing and other guidelines may make some of the celebration look somewhat different, but almost all of the traditional activities are on schedule for July 2, 3, and 4, and the Whistle-Stop Trade Days intends to be open July 4 and 5.
The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce meeting last Thursday was attended by representatives of the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association (COEA) and the Donley County Extension Service, where the consensus was to move forward as normal as possible. On Monday, the County Agent Leonard Haynes also met with representatives of the Al Morrah Shrine Club about plans for the barbecue.
Haynes then met Tuesday with County Judge John Howard, MD, and reviewed plans for the celebration. Haynes said the judge was satisfied with plans by the parties involved to follow as best as possible the safety guidelines for outdoor events that that have been set out by the state government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of those plans call for hand sanitizing stations to be placed at different points on the courthouse lawn and for craft fair vendors to be spaced out to allow for social distancing. Barbecue meals will be plated or boxed instead of having attendees go through a buffet line, and face masks are encouraged but not required.
COEA is moving forward with rodeo plans although a final decision will not be made until June 15. The organization already booked its rodeo teams last month and is largely ready to go. Dances will not be held following the rodeos this year.
The COEA Junior Rodeo tentatively will kick off the celebration Thursday, July 2, at 7:30 p.m. followed by the first night of the Ranch Rodeo on Friday, July 3, at the same time.
The big day will be Saturday, July 4, beginning with the Arts & Craft Fair on the square at 9 a.m. sponsored by the Donley County 4H. Booths must be reserved through the Donley County 4H by calling 806-874-2141.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Old Settlers Reunion and the Kids’ Bicycle & Tricycle Parade also begin at 9 a.m. The Kids’ Parade will line up and register at 8:30 at Keith Floyd’s shop at Third and Sully. Ed Montana will provide music and serve as master of ceremonies on the square.
Line up for the Herring Bank Parade will also start at 9 a.m. with the parade taking off at 10:00. The theme for this year’s parade is “Texas Strong – United We Stand,” and entry forms are available in this week’s Enterprise as well as at the Visitor Center. Entry forms are also available at ClarendonTX.com.
The Herring Bank Parade features $850 in cash prizes with $200 available for the best float, $100 for the best car or truck entry, $100 for the best animal or riding unit, $100 for the best tractor or farm equipment entry, and $100 for the best “other” entry. From those first place winners, judges will select a Grand Prize winner who will receive an additional $250.
Pre-registration is required for entrants to be judged for the prize money, and entry forms are due in the Visitor Center by 5 p.m. on July 1.
The Al Morrah Shrine Club barbecue will follow the parade at about 11 a.m. Tickets are $12 each and will be available at the Visitor Center and the Enterprise.
Parade winners will be announced at 1 p.m. The Henson’s Turtle Race will then take place at 1:30 p.m. And the Ranch Rodeo will close out the day at the COEA Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Also happening during the celebration weekend, the Whistle-Stop will have its monthly trade days Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Whistle-Stop features more than 100 vendors as well as live music, food, and fun for the entire family.
Other events will be added to the schedule as they are decided or announced. For more information about the celebration, contact the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421. A current schedule summary is as follows:
Thursday, July 2
7:30 p.m. – Junior Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena (tentative)
Friday, July 3
All Day – Merchants’ Sales
7:30 p.m. – Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena (tentative)
Saturday, July 4
9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Whistle-Stop Trade Days
9:00 a.m. – Craft Fair, Courthouse Square
9:00 a.m. – Kids’ Tricycle/Bicycle Parade
10:00 a.m. – Herring Bank Parade
11:00 a.m. – Shriners’ Barbecue, Courthouse Square
1:30 p.m. – Henson’s Turtle Races
7:30 p.m. – Ranch Rodeo, COEA Arena (tentative)
Sunday, July 5
9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Whistle-Stop Trade Days
Fifty attend solidarity meeting here
More than 50 people attended a Solidarity Event Monday evening at the Donley County Courthouse as a call for unity and a memorial for George Floyd, who died in police custody last month in Minneapolis, Minn., sparking outrage across the nation and overseas.
The local event was the idea of four local young ladies – Rosie and Lillie Dale, Brianna Martin, and Kira Weatherton. The purpose, Weatherton told the Enterprise, was for the community to come together in prayer.
“Prayer is a way to unite a community,” she said. “It’s very powerful and helpful in situations like this.”
Weatherton said the event drew more people than she expected and said some folks did not understand what was going to happen.
“A bunch of people said we were going to start a riot and throw bricks and stuff,” Weatherton said, “but that wasn’t it. It was super peaceful and quite, and everyone was so attentive.”
Mary Ann Moreno was one of the first to speak Monday night and addressed past discrimination and how things are different now locally.
“Times have changed,” Moreno said. “We have a good sheriff.”
Moreno also said more needs to be done to bring homeownership to young people.
Martha Daohenang spoke of her love for the local community and the love that has been shown to her.
“The whole community – black, white, brown – helped me when I lost my son,” she said. “Recently, I had a flat tire and a highway patrolman changed my flat tire. We’re all children of God.”
Other speakers included Deb Dale, who encouraged voter registration and filling out Census information, and Latonya Wilson, who said her message was that “we will face our challenges but that we can win and succeed anyway.”
Several prayers were offered, and the highlight of the event was when those in attendance who were able and willing kneeled in silent prayer for eight minutes and 46 seconds. That’s the time that Floyd was pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his neck.
Organizers thanked city and county officials for their support and also thanked local law enforcement who attended the event as well.
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