Roger Estlack

The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus will pull into Clarendon this Friday, April 1, for two performances at the Clarendon College Livestock & Equine Center, sponsored by the Clarendon Lions Club.

America’s Favorite Old-Fashioned Big Top Circus will hold shows at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Midway and Box Office with (rides, moonbounce, concessions, and more) will open at 4 p.m.

This one-ring, big top circus has been featured on National Geographic’s Explorer TV series, The Chicago Tribune, and other media outlets.

Last Thursday, Culpepper & Merriweather’s advance clown, Skeeter, was in town and made appearances at Lowe’s Family Center, the Clarendon Outpost, two daycare centers, and Clarendon Elementary. Skeeter graduated from the Ringling Clown College and has spent much of the last 18 years traveling around the country – clowning around.

Culpepper & Merriweather invites the public to watch Friday morning as the lot in front of the Livestock & Equine Center is transformed into a bustling Circus City. Activity swirls around the grounds as animals are unloaded, the Big Top is erected, and rigging is prepared for performances later in the day.

On circus day, C&M performers bring the magic of the circus to life in each 90-minute show. This year’s lineup includes an All-Star group of performers and entertainers. The performers are sure to amaze and delight kids of all ages.

Advance tickets are available at: Lowe’s Family Center, the Clarendon Outpost, Mike’s Pharmacy, Donley County State Bank, Herring Bank, and the Enterprise. Prices for advance tickets are $6 for children ages 2 to 12, children under 2 are always free, and $9 for adults. On show day, tickets are $7 and $12.

A part of the circus proceeds will go to the Clarendon Lions Club in support of its many charitable endeavors.

For more information, contact Boss Lion Roger Estlack or call 874-2259.

Clarendon will be bustling with people this weekend when the annual Clarendon College Invitational Judging Contest is held Saturday.

The contest doubles the town’s population and regularly attracts more than 2,000 high school FFA students and 4-H students from around Texas and nearby states and as of Monday afternoon more than 1,800 students had pre-registered.  This number doesn’t include the hundreds of parents and coaches who accompany the students to the contest.

According to the 2000 US Census, Clarendon has a population of 1,974.

Past contests have had huge impacts on the local economy.  Restaurants are typically packed for the event to the point of actually having to turn people away, and this year will hopefully be equally successful.

In fact, the annual judging contest is the single biggest event to attract visitors from out of county for one day.  By comparison, the July 4th Saints’ Roost Celebration barbecue annually attracts about 1,000 people, the Buck’N Blow Out Rodeo on Labor Day weekend drew around 750 this past year, and the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff records between 1,000 and 1,500 visitors each September. Each of those events, however, has hundreds of local residents in attendance. The greatest number of people at the judging contest will come from outside of Donley County.

The Texas Panhandle’s oldest thriving town has a new logo and word mark that city leaders hope will bring a professional, unified look to marketing and promotion efforts.

In a called meeting last Tuesday, the Clarendon Board of Aldermen voted 3-0 to approve the new design after considering four options. The logo features a halo over the capital C and utilizes a Black Chancery font that reflects on Clarendon’s 19th century origins. The word mark incorporates the logo to spell out “Clarendon” in red with “Texas” written in black smaller and to one side.

“The script looks like something from an old church hymnal and ties back to old Saints’ Roost,” said City Administrator Lambert Little.

Clarendon was established in the spring of 1878 as a Christian colony by Rev. L.H. Carhart five miles north of the present town site at the junction of Carroll Creek and the Salt Fork of the Red River. The community’s early dedication to temperance, religion, and education prompted are cowboys at the time to derisively say that Clarendon was where the saints roosted.

“I’m excited about having something standardized that everyone can use and is easily recognized.”

Clarendon College Marketing Coordinator Ashlee Estlack designed the logo and the associated word mark.

“I visited with Mr. Little several times and based on his input tried to design something that would be classy and attractive,” Estlack said. “I think they made a good decision.”
Estlack has previously designed logos for the college, the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation, and the Bring Back the Mulkey campaign and has also created numerous other marketing and promotional materials.

Little said the city will begin using the logo right away on business cards and stationery and will also use it when the city sponsors activities.

In other city business last week, aldermen also discussed with fire department representatives a pending insurance claim on a fire truck that was totaled while responding to a traffic accident several weeks ago.

The board also heard from Clarendon College’s Interim Dean of Instruction Scarlet Estlack as she requested the city to partner with CC for this year’s Kids’ College. Aldermen agreed to provide $1,000 to help defray tuition costs associated with Red Cross babysitting and first aid certifications for young people this summer.