Ben Estlack

It’s going to be a big night in Clarendon this Saturday, September 6, as hundreds of CHS alumni are expected to gather for an all-school reunion in the culmination of the 2025 homecoming festivities.

Reneé Mott reported Tuesday that she turned in a total of 296 to the caterer for Saturday’s barbecue. That represents people who pre-paid for the meal and is not all inclusive of everyone who will be in town for homecoming or will likely still come downtown for music and fellowship.

The event was the idea of the late Tommy Hill, Class of 1974, and a committee led by Mott, Virginia Patten, and others have made it a reality with plans for fun over a three-day period, September 4-6.

The Sandell Drive-In will kick things off Thursday night with a special screening of Grease. The show starts at dusk. Admission will be free, and the Sandell’s famous hamburgers and full concessions will be available.

Friday’s activities begin that morning with golf at the Clarendon Country Club. “Friday Golf” at the club, $15 per person gets green fees and a cart. Tee time is 10 a.m. For more golf information, call Tim Brown at 806-662-1184.

The new downtown event center The Roost will be the location for much of the reunion activities. Located in the former Cowboy Church (or the former Eads Furniture building for earlier graduates) in the 200 block of S. Kearney, The Roost will be open at 11 a.m. Friday for visiting and snacks, and alumni are welcome to hang out there anytime over the weekend. For those who ordered the alumni t-shirts, those will be available at lunch at The Roost.

The Homecoming Pep Rally will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Bronco Gym. The Colt Parents’ Mexican Pile-On will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at the school cafeteria for $10 per plate. Charcuterie and Sloppy Joes will also be available before and after the game at The Roost. The Broncos will take on Sanford-Fritch at 7:30.
A Fifth Quarter will follow the game at The Roost with deejay music, snacks, and BYOB.

Saturday the Roost will open at 8 a.m. with donuts and coffee. JD’s Food Truck will be on site for breakfast burritos and lunch. Stocking Ice Cream Parlor will also be open Saturday afternoon and evening. The Donley County Courthouse and the Saints’ Roost Museum will also be open for tours.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce will host a Sip & Shop tour starting at 1:30 p.m. Clarendon College buses will be available to take shoppers to local businesses for sipping and shopping. A sign-up form is available at ClarendonTx.com for those interested. There is no charge, but seating is limited on the buses. The Sip & Shop route will start at the Whistle-Stop followed by Floatin’ T Boutique, and Cornell’s Country Store before going back downtown to visit Henson’s, Every Nook & Cranny, and Ramblin’ Ranch.

The Mulkey Theatre will hold a matinee show of Jaws at 2 p.m. with a special $5 admission price., and a Dessert Bar will be available at The Roost starting at 3 p.m.

The Homecoming Supper will be catered by Dyers BBQ Saturday night with serving to begin at 7 p.m. and live music on Kearney Street by “Just In Time.” REFZ Sports Bar & Grill will provide a mobile full-service bar at the event starting at 6:30 p.m. Pre-payment was required for the barbecue. A few plates will be available, but only on a first come, first served basis after ticket holders.

The Hedley Lions Club’s annual Chicken Barbecue will be held Thursday, September 4, at the Hedley Park starting at 6 p.m.

Plates are $10 each and includes barbecue chicken, potato salad, beans, and tea. To purchase advance tickets, call Michael Metcalf at 806-205-0064. Tickets will also be available at the event.

August brings opportunities for citizens to get involved in their local governments with public hearings set for tax rates and budgets.

The City of Clarendon will hold its budget hearing on September 4 at 5:30 p.m. and a tax hearing at 5:00 p.m. on September 11.

The City of Hedley will hold a tax hearing on September 11 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The Donley Appraisal District will hold its budget hearing on September 9 at 7 p.m. at 304 S. Kearney.

Governor Greg Abbott celebrated the implementation of several landmark bills passed during the 89th Regular Legislative Session that went into effect September 1.

These laws reflect several legislative priorities the Governor worked closely with members of the House and Senate to pass and sign into law.

“This session will be remembered as one of the most consequential in Texas history,” said Governor Abbott. “We made bold promises to the people of Texas – to secure the border and keep Texans safe, to defend freedom, life and property rights, and to ensure every child has access to a great education. And we delivered. Today, Texans will realize the results of many of these promises. The laws we passed reflect our values: safer communities, stronger schools, and a future built on freedom, faith, and hard work.”

Starting today, September 1, key new laws will go into effect across the state, including:

Senate Bill 2 – School Choice – establishes an Education Savings Account program allowing eligible students to direct funding toward their choice of preapproved educational providers and services such as private school tuition, instructional materials, and educational therapies. With $1 billion in funding for the 2026-2027 school year, the program will be the largest day-one launch in the country.

House Bill 2 – provides a record $8.5 billion in new funding for public education and a historic $4 billion for teacher and staff pay raises.

House Bill 120 – expansion of Career Training – aligns education with workforce needs and expands programs in high schools and technical colleges for trades like welding, plumbing, and electrical work.

Senate Bill 10 requires the display of the Ten Commandments in every public elementary and secondary school classroom beginning with the 2025–2026 school year.

Senate Bill 12 – the Parents’ Bill of Rights – strengthens parental rights by banning DEI hiring and training, requiring sex education to be “opt in,” prohibiting harmful gender ideology in K–12 schools, enforcing biological sex in sports (“No boys in girls’ sports”), protecting parents’ rights in directing their child’s upbringing and medical decisions, and refocusing curriculum on core subjects and U.S. founding documents.

Senate Bill 13 increases parental oversight of school libraries by requiring parent-led advisory councils and giving school boards final authority to approve, retain, or remove materials.

Senate Bill 33 prohibits Texas governmental entities from financially or logistically supporting abortions, including entering into contracts with abortion providers or with entities that assist individuals in obtaining abortions.

Senate Bill 9 gives prosecutors the ability to appeal dangerous bail decisions made in cases involving the most heinous crimes and repeat felons. This bill also ensures only elected judges may reduce the amount or conditions of a bail set by an elected judge.

House Bill 150 creates the Texas Cyber Command, a purpose-built agency in San Antonio whose mission is to defend, respond, and recover from cyber threats.

House Bill 128 prohibits sister-city agreements between governmental entities and foreign adversaries while promoting agreements with allies of the United States.

Senate Bill 17 prohibits certain countries, individuals, and organizations, including designated transnational criminal organizations, from acquiring real property in Texas.

Senate Bill 1333 empowers sheriffs and constables to take action quickly when a property owner submits a sworn complaint that a squatter has taken possession of their property unlawfully. It also increases criminal penalties for criminal mischief related to criminal trespass involving a home and engaging in a real estate transaction involving property the person does not have a legal interest in.

Senate Bill 1349 creates a criminal offense for transnational repression and requires a new training program for law enforcement on the matter.

Senate Bill 7 assigns the Texas Water Development Board with the responsibility to coordinate water supply conveyance, expands the uses of the New Water Supply for Texas Fund, and dedicates funding in House Joint Resolution 7 (which is put before voters to approve in November) to finance water supply and infrastructure projects.

House Bill 2306 eliminates parole for a defendant convicted of trafficking a persons in all cases when the victim is a child or a disabled individual.

Senate Bill 1212 enhances the ability to prosecute and more effectively punish defendants for human trafficking. This bill also increases the penalty for any conduct constituting the offense of trafficking of a persons to a first-degree felony.

Senate Bill 1814 instructs the Texas Veterans Commission to establish and maintain an electronic database of contact information for service members leaving active duty who give consent. The database will allow state agencies and veteran organizations to access the information with the intent to provide individuals within the database with resources to veterans.

Senate Bill 1818 requires Texas licensing agencies immediately issue a provisional license recognizing the out-of-state licenses of military service members, veterans, and military spouses.

House Bill 114 consolidates responsibility of several veteran related programs from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to the Texas Veterans Commission.

House Bill 5115 makes counting invalid votes or refusing to count valid votes an election fraud offense and enhances the offense of all election fraud to a second-degree felony, protecting election integrity.