Junior Owls place in tournament
Donley County candidates’ forum to be held Feb. 13
The Donley County Republican Club will host a Candidate Forum February 13 at the Bairfield Activity Center at 7:00 p.m.
Local candidates for this spring’s primary elections will present their platforms. The forum will be open to the public regardless of party affiliation, and refreshments will be served.
Donations are being accepted by the Donley County Republican Club for the purpose of providing these annual forums and for purchasing food for both Republican and Democratic election workers during the primaries.
Those wishing to make a donation for that purpose can do so by mailing a check to PO Box 789, Clarendon, TX 79226 or by taking a donation to the Donley County Republican Club directly to the Donley County State Bank.
Chamber planning groovy time for awards banquet
Break out the bell bottoms and get ready for a groovy good time as the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce celebrates the 1960s and 1970s during its “Peace Love Local” awards banquet Thursday, February 29, at the Bairfield Activity Center.
Tickets are on sale now for the event, which will recognize several outstanding citizens in Donley County. The awards to be given will be the Saints’ Roost Award for a lifetime of service to the community and the Man and Woman of the Year, the Volunteer Organization of the Year, and Business of the Year in addition to recognitions for outstanding youth from Clarendon and Hedley.
Musical entertainment for the evening will be by Jackie Haney & the Geezers Gone Wild, back by popular demand from last year’s banquet and featuring Clarendon native Charlie Clinton on the keyboard.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and reception, including the annual Chamber silent auction and gift box pull. The banquet, entertainment, and awards will follow at 7 p.m.
Those attending are encouraged to dress up like the 1960s and 1970s, and businesses are also invited to purchase blocks of tickets by sponsoring tables at the event. Table sponsors will get to decorate their tables to reflect their business and the theme of the banquet with a prize given for the best table decoration.
Tickets are $25 each and must be purchased in advance at the Visitor Center. For more information, contact the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.
Finishing up
Lady Broncos beat Wheeler, Quanah
By Sandy Anderberg
The Lady Broncos are right where they want to be in their final games of the season as they were able to add to their winning season last week.
They defeated Wheeler on the road 64-27 and stopped Quanah cold at 70-22 to stay on top of the district standings.
Three ladies were able to break into double digits in the game with the Lady Stangs with Kashlyn Conkin leading the way with 14. Tandie Cummins put in 12, and Berkley Moore added 11. Despite having three players in double figures, the Lady Broncos struggled as a team to get shots to fall at times. But they were able to play as a team as they have done all year and get the win. A huge second quarter of play on both ends of the court gave the Lady Broncos the momentum they needed to get the job done.
Kenidee Hayes finished with nine, and Kate Shaw put in eight. Kennadie Cummins had seven, and Graci Smith helped with two.
The Lady Broncos were strong against a struggling Quanah team at home and were able to easily put points on the board. They took a commanding lead in the opening quarter of play and held the Lady Indians to only 10 points in the first half. Defensively, the ladies were too much for Quanah and they were not able to execute offensively.
Courtlyn Conkin was back in the rotation, but the Lady Broncos are still playing without Hayden Elam and Presley Smith who are out due to injuries. The Lady Broncos are deep in talent, and they were able to execute the way they wanted on the offensive end of the court.
Hayes put in 15 points hitting two three pointers and making all three bonus points. Smith played strong and added 12 points from the inside and hit two of two free throws. C. Conkin, Moore, Shaw, and K. Conkin all finished with eight points, T. Cummins had seven, and K. Cummins added four.
The Lady Broncos will travel to Shamrock on Tuesday, February 2.
CHS students advance in UIL film contest
A group of Clarendon High School students are advancing after competing for the first time in the UIL film competition.
The CHS students decided to put their filming and acting skills to good use during the fall semester by being the school’s first group of students to compete in UIL film.
Mrs. Zongker’s ninth period class scripted and produced three films for submission to University Interscholastic League film competition for judging that began mid-January with 1A-3A competing in the same division.
Each film had a seven-minute time limit and had to be fully produced by students with the sponsor only acting in a supervisor role. Of the three films submitted – two were submitted as documentaries and one was a narrative.
The title of the documentaries were “Snack Pak 4 Kids” and “Gem of the Texas Panhandle.” The narrative was submitted with a title of “___Did It!”
The two documentary films advanced to the state semi-final round and are awaiting the State Finalist announcement on February 12.
The UIL State Film Festival is scheduled to be on the University of Texas campus on February 28.
The following students had roles in the film competitions with two teacher interviews: Rowdy Bebout, Kyler Bell, Kashlyn Conkin, Zane Cruse, Benjamin Estlack, Avery Halsey, Ronan Howard, Toby Leeper, Jacob Murillo, Zakary Roberts, Cutter Seay, Kate Shaw, Wes Shaw, Koltyn Shields, Presley Smith, Kase Zongker, Cutter Ashbook, Mrs. Bessent, and Mrs. Benson.
The students who have advanced to the state semi-final round were Estlack, Halsey, Howard, Leeper, Murillo, and Seay.
Helen Louise Welch
Helen Louise Welch, 92, formerly of Clarendon, passed into her Heavenly home on Thursday, January 25, 2024, in Amarillo.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at Calvary Baptist Church in Clarendon with Chris Downer officiating. Private family burial will be held at Rowe Cemetery in Hedley.
Viewing will be held at the funeral home on Monday, January 29, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. with family receiving friends for visitation from 3-5 p.m.
Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Helen was born on August 16, 1931, in Wellington, to Buster C. and Modene (Mitchell) Shields. She graduated from Quail Highschool. Helen married C.E. Welch on December 11, 1948, in Wellington, and they had one son, Tex Welch. After living in Claude for some time, Helen and C.E. moved to Clarendon in 1973. Helen worked for Bivens Pharmacy for 16 years as store manager and cosmetician. In 2000, they moved to Hedley and spent their time enjoying their land and running cattle. After C.E. passed in 2005, Helen moved to Clarendon where she went back to work part time for The Clarendon Outpost as their jewelry department manager.
Helen was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Clarendon and deeply loved her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was an excellent cook and baker. Helen’s chocolate and coconut crème pies were fought over at church luncheons, and she always had a banana nut bread ready for anyone who stopped by to see her. She loved her family, and any child she ever kept became a part of her life forever. She acquired many friends over the years that became family to her.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Buster and Modene Shields; husband of 57 years, C.E. Welch; brothers, Jimmy and Billy Shields; sister, Jo Ann Cobb; and daughter-in-law, Sherry Lynn Hales Welch.
Helen is survived by her son, Tex Welch and wife, Terri, of Amarillo; two brothers Rev. Rob Shields of Waxahachie, and John Shields of Queen Creek, Ariz.; numerous nieces and nephews; and her special children, Scott Bivens, Donna Ripple Courville, Cooper Downer, Alysse and Malerie Simpson, Austin Adams, and Kati Gillespie.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Calvary Baptist Church or Rowe Cemetery in Hedley.
Danny Thomas Russell
Danny Thomas Russell, 75, of Hedley, Texas, passed away on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at his home.
Cremation and arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Danny Thomas Russell was born in Haskell, TX on July 10, 1948, to Henry and Nettie (Hix) Russell. Growing up, Danny attended Van Horn schools and later graduated from Lake Worth High School. He served his country by joining the United States Army in 1966 and served through 1969. After his duty, Danny attended technical college where he became an elevator engineer. He retired in 2007 after nearly 40 years of service traveling the state working on elevators.
Danny was an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing and hunting. He was even late to his daughter’s birth because he was deer hunting. Danny also enjoyed being in his proliferous garden. He took pleasure in canning the fruits of his labors. Danny deeply appreciated the company of his closest friends, Jimmy Patterson, Jimmy Patterson II, Ernie Copelin, and Alek Lukas.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Nettie Russell; 3 brothers, Dale, Hugh, and Bill Russell; and sister, Marie Russell.
Danny is survived by 2 daughters, Janice Russell of Hohenwald, TN and Julie Seymour and husband, Randy, also of TN ; 2 brothers, Gene Russell and wife, Vi, of Ft Worth, TX, and Robert Russell of DE; 3 sisters, Maxine Heim of AZ, Gerri Bellar of CO, and Wanda McDonald of Hurst, TX; 2 granddaughters, Katie Smith and husband, Hunter, of Hohenwald, TN, and Tessa Seymour also of TN; 5 great-grandchildren, Savannah, Eva, Justin, Gracie, and Athena of TN; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Ladies beat Wellington at buzzer!
By Sandy Anderberg
The Lady Broncos and the Lady Skyrockets fought it out in their low-scoring district game in Wellington last Friday night. Down to two seconds on the clock with the score tied at 29-29, Clarendon sophomore Kenidee Hayes put it up from behind the half-court line and, along with her teammates, coaches, and fans watched it go in hitting nothing but net to win the game by three.
The win kept the Lady Broncos at the top of the leaderboard in the District 2-2A race at a perfect 5-0 as they put the first half behind them. The ladies are currently 26-1 overall.
Defense was definitely the name of the game for both teams as they each struggled to score as they normally do. The Lady Broncos have been averaging around 63 points a game in district play but were off that mark in the Skyrocket Gym. Wellington is a tough place to play, let alone win, but the ladies impressively pulled together and pulled out the win.
Hayes was the high scorer with nine, Tandie Cummins had seven, and Kate Shaw was strong inside adding six. Kashlyn Conkin and Kennadie Cummins helped with four each, and Graci Smith finished with two.
Earlier in the week, the ladies crushed Shamrock 83-19 at home. The Lady Broncos had an easy time of it as the Lady Irish failed to stop their offense. The Lady Broncos were able to cause several turnovers by the Lady Irish and converted them into points effortlessly.
Four Lady Broncos finished in double figures with sophomore Shaw playing a great game inside. Shaw has played strong under the basket, and she was rewarded with a team high 20 points.
Hayes was on fire as well and finished with 15, T. Cummins poured in 12, and K. Conkin scored 11 that included three three-pointers. Also cleaning up against the Irish was Berkley Moore with nine, G. Smith with eight, and K. Cummins and Presley Smith adding four each.
The ladies will host Quanah at home on Friday, January 26, and travel to Memphis on January 30.
Broncos easily handle Shamrock at home
By Sandy Anderberg
The Broncos had no trouble taking care of Shamrock last week in a district matchup at home.
The Broncos played hard and finished with a 75-23 win. Four Broncos racked up double digits on the scoreboard over the Irish.
Things went well for Clarendon and they were able to put 16 points on the board in the first eight minutes of play. Shamrock was frustrated early in the game as the Broncos just kept coming on strong. They were able to make good use of turnovers and missed shots all night long.
Leyante Prince finished with 13 points. Prince hit one three-pointer and was perfect at four for four from the free throw line. Lyric Smith added 12, Anthony Ceniceros put in 11, and Mason Sims added 10 from his inside position.
The Broncos played a strong offensive game and made the shots when they needed them. The entire team was able to post points on the board and execute their game plan.
Riley Wade put in eight points, and Kaleb Bolin had six. Jaxan McAnear added five, and Reagan Wade and Wes Shaw had four each. Levi Gates added another two points in the win.
Results for the Broncos game at Wellington were not available at press time.
The Broncos will take on Quanah at home on Friday, January 26, and play at Memphis on January 30 with both games starting at 8:00 p.m.
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