Ben Estlack

Clarendon public school students, employees, and taxpayers have a special reason to be thankful this season after an anonymous donation was made to help pay for a new bus.

Clarendon CISD Trustees formally accepted the grant during their regular meeting on November 10. School officials say the gift of $359,000 will pay for one of the two travel buses the district recently ordered.

Superintendent Rick Teran told the Enterprise this week the grant came as surprise to the school district but was a gift they gladly accepted.

“How exciting is it that this donation would be made to our district?” Teran said. “How blessed are we? This is money that could have gone anywhere but the decision was made to support our school.”

School officials have long wanted new travel buses, but voters turned down a bond election last fall that would have included funds for that purpose. In September, trustees approved buying two used buses with money the district has in reserves. With this month’s grant, Teran says the district can keep more money in its fund balance for future needs.

Teran also said this week that the district is hoping to have the new buses delivered by December 4, which is ahead of schedule.

In other school business at the November 10 board meeting, trustees cast the district’s votes for the Donley County Appraisal District Board as follows: Shawna Herbert, 367; Chris Topliff, 367; Renee Mott, 369; and Jerry Koontz, 367.

From shopping to caroling to carriage rides, there will be lots of activities in Clarendon for Small Business Saturday and the new Small Town Christmas celebration on November 29.

Several local merchants will be open throughout the day with special savings to help shoppers get a jump start on their Christmas buying. Check out the Enterprise’s Holiday Gift Guide and ClarendonTX.com/Christmas for details on local merchant promotions.

Small Town Christmas festivities will begin at 1 p.m. with the 200 and 300 blocks of Kearney Street being closed off to traffic. Entries in the Ugly Sweater and Gingerbread House contests will begin at that time also.

Organizers are planning on having food trucks and music downtown with vendor booths set up in The Roost event center (formerly the Cowboy Church). Drawings for variety of prizes will be held throughout the event at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 7:30, and 7:45; and you must be present to win. Drawings will take place at the intersection of Kearney and Third Street.

Registration for a Christmas Scavenger Hunt will begin at the Courthouse at 3 p.m.

At 5 p.m., Santa Claus will be on the Courthouse Square where there will be live music on the courthouse steps and hot chocolate provided by the Clarendon Lions Club.

The courthouse lighting will be held at 6 p.m. in accordance with tradition, and then the fun will shift back to Kearney Street.

Carriage rides will be available starting at 6:30 p.m., and s’mores will be available downtown also. A barrel train ride will also be available.

Awards for the best Ugly Sweaters and the best Gingerbread Houses will be announced at 7:00 p.m. downtown.

Small Town Christmas is being organized by a group of volunteer elves and supported with promotional efforts through the Chamber of Commerce and the Clarendon EDC. The volunteer committee led by Denise Bertrand has been planning and working for several months to make this weekend a success.

Local merchants and the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce will make shopping at home pay off during Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season.

The fourth annual “Shop Small” promotion from the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce will put a grand total of $550 in Chamber Christmas Cash in the hands of lucky winners who shop with local merchants.

Sign-ups at participating merchants will begin Friday, November 28, for drawings that will be held for $100 each Friday on December 5, 12, and 19.

To enter, shoppers will fill out an entry at local participating merchants. The Chamber will gather them up each Friday morning, and hold the drawings live on the Chamber’s Facebook.

Enter as many times as you shop locally, so shop often. Entries stay in the hopper each week, so those who enter will have multiple chances of winning.

As of this week, those merchants participating this year are: Amanda’s Country Soaps, Brollier’s NAPA Auto Parts, Clarendon Outpost, Country Bloomers Flowers, Every Nook & Cranny, Floatin’ T Boutique, Floyd’s Automotive, Henson’s, Garrison’s, J&W Lumber, Lowe’s Family Center, Monroe’s Peach Ranch, Mulkey Theatre, Mike’s Pharmancy, Ramblin’ Ranch Boutique, REFZ Sports Bar & Grill, and Whistle Stop. Other Chamber members wishing to participate can call the Visitor Center at 806-874-2421.

The Chamber will also hold a bonus drawing for $250 in Chamber Christmas Cash on December 19. Sign-up for the bonus drawing will be held starting December 1 at the Clarendon Visitor Center. Shoppers can bring their receipts and receive one entry for every $25 spent at the participating merchants.

Visit the Chamber’s Facebook page or ClarendonTX.com/Christmas for more details on which businesses will be open this weekend.

Shop at home this holiday season and remember the important role your local merchants play in keeping your community strong. Support the businesses who support your town

Small Business Saturday began in 2010 when it was founded by American Express to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

According to small business advocates, every $100 spent in locally-owned stores returns $68 to the local community through taxes, payrolls, and other expenditures. That same money spent in another town or online returns nothing to your local community.

 

The Mulkey Theatre will have a special screening of “The Polar Express” this Sunday, November 30, at 6:00 p.m.

Come in your pajamas and enjoy this holiday tradition at the Mulkey.

Admission will be a donation to the Donley County Community Fund, which is participating in GivingTuesday again this year. Donations will be amplified by the Amarillo Area Foundation.

State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) will hold a town hall in Clarendon next Tuesday, December 2, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Bairfield Activity Center.

The stop is part of King’s tour of House District 88 to discuss the 89th Regular Legislative Session as well as the Special Sessions that followed.

King will give a quick overview of the session and then solicit feedback from constituents on issues of vital importance to them and their communities.

“The input and ideas I receive from these meetings help me effectively represent and advocate for my constituents in the Texas House,” King said.