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Junior Cheerleaders
Alleged abduction report investigation
The Donley County Sheriff’s Office has found no witnesses or suspects in its investigation of a reported abduction attempt at Bronco Stadium last Friday night, August 24.
Sheriff Butch Blackburn said a 14-year-old Panhandle girl reported she had left the stadium through the east gate after the game and was grabbed by someone as she walked up Allen Street toward the southeast corner of the stadium. The girl said she got away from the person, and Donley County EMS examined the girl that night.
The girl suffered no injuries, and school camera footage captured no incident, Blackburn said. No witnesses have been located, and no suspects have been identified.
Blackburn said Tuesday the investigation was still continuing, and he urged people to always be cautious.
“Parents need to always do their due diligence to know where their children are, and kids need to always pay attention to their surroundings,” the sheriff said.
CC turns 125 next Tuesday
Clarendon College will celebrate its 125th anniversary next Tuesday, and plans are being made to observe the milestone throughout the school year.
The Texas Panhandle’s first college was established as Clarendon College & University Training School and opened its doors on September 5, 1898, under the guidance of the Methodist church conference.
As a Methodist college, CC actually became a four-year institution for a short time before the church conference shifted its support to what is now McMurry University in 1927.
At that time, Clarendon College became a public institution and was managed by Clarendon ISD through the school board before a separate college district was created in the 1960s. CC moved to its present campus in 1968.
Today, Clarendon College offers classes in Pampa, Childress, Amarillo, Shamrock, and Canyon in addition to courses on the home campus. Many students also enjoy the opportunities CC provides through dual credit classes in high schools and through classes online.
CC President Tex Buckhaults said the college will hold a celebration on Saturday, September 9, as the official kick-off to the anniversary observations.
A public meet and greet will be held at the Vera Dial Dickey Library from 2 to 4 p.m. that day. Light refreshments and snacks will be served, and the library will have on display some of the history and artifacts of the college’s past.
The evening of September 9 will feature an invitation-only event at the Bairfield Activity Center for donors, former members of the board of regents, and other dignitaries, Buckhaults said.
On September 27, the college is inviting all former coaches and volleyball players to attend the volleyball game that day.
Former basketball coaches and players will be invited to games on November 14, and former softball and baseball players and coaches will be invited to ballgames on April 27.
Additional plans call for a dinner theatre, and the striking of an commemorative coin for the 125th anniversary. The college rodeo team may also incorporate anniversary observations during its NFR send-off next year.
Buckhaults said the college also plans to raise funds to replace trees on the campus that have been lost over the years.
Graduation festivities in May will cap off the year’s celebrations, the president said.
For more information about these or other events, contact Clarendon College at 806-874-3571.
Ted Robert Sawyer
Ted Robert Sawyer, 59, of Amarillo, Texas died Saturday, August 26, 2023 in Amarillo.
Services will be 2:00 PM Tuesday, August 29, 2023 in Robertson Funeral Directors Saints’ Roost Chapel in Clarendon with Chris Downer, officiating. Burial will follow in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.
Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Ted was a jack of all trades. He excelled in everything he touched from roping , welding, fabricating, sand and gravel business, and drawing up prints. He could recite the history of motorcycles, and Peterbilts from old to new. He had a built in calculator and was great with numbers and had a photographic memory.
He had no kids of his own, but he had a special place in his heart for his nieces and nephew; Misti, Jamie, Kalli and Clay.
Ted could sit down at a table and carry on a conversation with the predominant as well as the less fortunate.
He would lend you a helping hand at any time.
Ted was the life of the party. There was never a dull moment when Ted was around, whatever the entertainment may desire.
He never met a stranger with his gift of gab. He had a fan base that reached all over the country; not many places you could go that someone didn’t know him.
He said many times that he had a lot of fun and lived life to the fullest. This is a true testament of a life celebration.
Ted and his momma, whom he loved dearly, are reunited in greener pastures, singing and dancing their favorite song, “Bobby Duby sold it to me”.
Ted was preceded in death by his father, Ed Sawyer; his mother, Mary Ann Craft; his step father, Bill Craft; and a step brother, Willie Craft.
Survivors include his brother, Dan Sawyer of Clarendon; his love, Kelly Dredin of Amarillo; a step brother, Jack Craft; his step sisters, Cathy Craft Keene and Chris Craft Matthews; his nieces and nephews, Misti Powell, Clay Sawyer, Jamie Jackson, and Kalli Hodge; several great nieces and nephews; and a host of great friends.
Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com
Kindness Corner spreading love in Hedley
It’s not hard to be kind. That’s the message coming from Kindness Corner every Friday in Hedley as one family provides treats and love to school kids and employees.
“We just want to be generous with what God has given us and pour it back into these kids,” Melissa Barlow said.
Barlow and her husband, Kerry, live with their granddaughter, 11-year-old Ava, between Hedley and Quail and have gotten involved with the Hedley community over the last seven years through the Methodist Church there.
“We were working Vacation Bible School last summer, and we realized that there’s nothing for these kids in Hedley,” Barlow said. “They don’t even have a place to go buy a candy bar.”
So, in August 2022, the Barlows purchased a snow cone machine, set up behind the Hedley Methodist Church to have access to electricity, and started giving away free snow cones after school on Fridays. Soon the Martindale family offered the use of their property and electricity across from the school and under some big shade trees.
Kindness Corner was born, and Barlow says the name just morphed into existence.
“It’s just all about acts of kindness and how easy it can be to be kind,” she said.
About 50 kids would enjoy the snow cones each week. As the semester progressed and the days became colder, Kindness Corner switched from snow cones to hot chocolate and homemade cookies. When windy weather came with the spring, they introduced canned drinks and pre-packaged snacks. Then they moved back to snow cones as the school year drew to an end in May.
The Barlows shut down for the summer and then brought the Kindness Corner back for the new school year last week. They are thinking about ways they could continue the practice during the summer months next year.
Barlow said the free treats are for anyone at the school from pre-kindergarten all the way through seniors and are also available for school employees.
“We’ll even take someone a snow cone if we see them out working hard in their yard, or we’ll bring them a drink,” she said. “It’s just about being kind, and we just want to share the love.”
It’s not a fancy operation, just a table and a sign that says, “snow cones,” but people get used to it and by the time the season changes, they already know they are there without the sign.
The Barlows don’t ask for donations or help, but they have accepted it. Most donations come in the form of people helping at the stand or making homemade cookies, and one person donated snow cone syrup. Sharon Alexander, Kari Lindsey, Kay Manuel, and Bonnie Brown are among those who have helped, and some members of the Methodist church have also made cookies. Lois Marie Stevens is the daughter of Hedley’s coach and has been helping while waiting on her visa to go be a missionary in Mozambique.
The family mission has turned into a blessing, Barlow said, and she notes that there are more kids coming to the Kindness Corner this year than last.
“It’s been really fun,” she said. “They know us, and we know many of them by name. Kari Lindsey helps us get to know the kids.
The only kids who can’t enjoy the Kindness Corner are the students who have to ride the bus to Clarendon or Memphis. They don’t have time to go to the snow cone stand and wouldn’t be able to take the treats on the bus anyway.
“That’s been hard. We don’t really want to exclude anyone,” Barlow said, “but kids in Memphis or Clarendon have a choice of other things. These kids in Hedley don’t have anything.”
Hedley chicken BBQ to be held Aug. 31
The Hedley Lions Club’s annual Chicken Barbecue will be held next Thursday, August 31, at the Hedley Park starting at 6 p.m.
Plates are $10 each and includes barbecue chicken, potato salad, beans, and tea. To purchase tickets, call Mark White at 806-277-0412, Michael Metcalf at 806-205-0064, or Lucy Poole at 806-282-3755.
Artists at work
Golf tourney to draw 70+ participants next month
Plans are underway for the Clarendon Country Club to host the 31st annual Western Lone Star Senior Ladies Golf Association Tournament next month, September 10-14, with the theme “Diamonds in the Rough.”
More than 70 lady golfers are expected to attend the three-day match play tournament.
Free practice rounds will be held Sunday, September 10, followed by a welcome party. Qualifying rounds will be held Monday, September 11, and the first day of match play will be Tuesday, September 12.
Tuesday evening will have free time scheduled for shopping, although participants will be shopping other days as well. Local merchants are being encouraged to stay open until 8 p.m. on September 12.
Second day matches get underway on September 13, and the tournament concludes on September 14.
The association tournament has been in Clarendon before in 2008 and 2014, and members support motels, restaurants, and stores while they are in town.
Members of the association come from 21 towns in West Texas – Alpine, Amarillo, Andrews, Big Spring, Borger, Canadian, Canyon, Childress, Clarendon, Dimmitt, Dumas, Farwell, Graham, Hereford, Lubbock, Memphis, Muleshoe, Olney, Shamrock, Snyder, and Tulia.
For more information about the tournament, contact Theresa Shelton at 806-654-2994 or Sherol Johnston at 806-674-8590.
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