Roscoe Hard Times

Spring Arrives—and with it, Memories of Injun George

2012-03-21T10:14:00.000-05:00

An unmistakable sign of spring, the return of the buzzards.

Spring has sprung in Roscoe. Fruit trees have blossomed, and all the other trees, excepting the old mesquites, are budding out. Lilacs and forsythias are in full bloom, and wildflowers, especially those little purple ones, cover yards, lots, and other open spaces all over town.

Moreover, the buzzards are back. A few could be seen as early as last week, but then on Monday afternoon I saw a flock of forty or fifty of them circling overhead over in Sweetwater, confirming their annual return to the area.

So, not only are the local signs of spring on display, but the new season has also officially arrived according to the calendar. Today, March 21, is traditionally seen as the first day of spring.

Scientists are even more precise. For them, spring arrives at the exact moment the sun is positioned directly over the equator of our tilted earth. This year, that moment occurred yesterday at exactly at 12:14am central time (i.e., on the 20th because this is a leap year). And when the sun came up yesterday morning over Egypt, the Sphinx was pointing directly at the rising sun, as it always does on the first day of spring.

Many of us can remember when Roscoe had its own special spring ritual, and I was reminded of it on Monday when Stanley Cleckler came by the house with several old copies of the Roscoe Times, each of them containing commentary on the rain dance that used to be done each year by Injun George, a.k.a. George Parks, in some lonely spot in the country at sunup, always on the morning of March 22.

This ritual was not confined to Roscoe, however, but was done in a couple of other west Texas spots every year, the continuation of a ritual of the Plains Indians, who observed the practice in these parts long before the white man came.

Injun George’s version of the ceremony was a variation of the original, though. He did his first rain dance in 1972, after hearing of an “Injun John,” John W. Crim of Muleshoe, who performed a similar ritual there that he’d learned from his father, who in turn had learned it from the Indians in the nineteenth century.

The story goes that the elder Mr. Crim in the 1880s was in charge of the mule teams used in the building of the T&P railway across west Texas. While in the mountainous Van Horn area, he noticed early on the morning of March 22 puffs of smoke winding upward from all the Indian huts in the area.

He inquired why this was being done on that particular morning and was told that it was the Indian way of foretelling the crop outlook for the year. Just as the sun came up, the fire was lit and something was put in it to make the smoke dark.

The Indians then watched the smoke swirl upward. If the wind that carried it upward was from the northeast, it foretold plentiful crops. An east or north wind was pretty good, a west wind bad, southwest still worse, and a south wind terrible.

The rain dance around the fire was an innovation of Injun George, who did it in an attempt to bring plentiful rain to the Roscoe area. Each year he would don Indian garb, including a headdress with feathers, and do his solitary dance at an undisclosed location. Then, observing the direction the wind blew the smoke, he would make his prediction for the year and announce it in the Roscoe Times.

Once he started, he continued the ritual every year for the rest of the 1970s. Then, in 1980, the year of the great flood, Injun George hit a major snag as several of the local farmers blamed him for the crazy weather of that year.

Not too long before March 22, he fell from the press in the Times Office and broke his hip, causing him to limp around the fire on the morning he did his dance.

All that spring and summer, it hardly rained at all, and then in September, the remnants of a hurricane stalled over west Texas and Roscoe got something like seventeen inches in two days, causing the worst flood seen in generations and wiping out what little cotton crop there was.

Several farmers swore it was because he limped around the fire on the day he did his dance.

Then, two years later, in 1982, May and June were so wet the farmers couldn’t get into the fields to plant their crops, and Injun George decided to give it up. Here is his final quote on the issue from the Pickin’s column of the Roscoe Times of June 25, 1982:

“Injun George has resolved never to do another rain dance. This is the second time in three years when his dances have nearly drowned Roscoe out. Find you a better Injun.”

Injun George went to the Happy Hunting Ground the following year.

Tomorrow is March 22, the day that the Plains Indians--and Injun John and Injun George--always lit their fires and observed the direction of the smoke. All swore to the accuracy of the ceremony’s predictions. I do not intend to light a fire and perform the ritual at dawn, but next week I will duly report here in the Roscoe Hard Times the findings of anyone who does.

Let me know.

--o--

CITY OF ROSCOE SPRING CLEAN-UP SET FOR NEXT WEEK, MARCH 26-31

The City of Roscoe will hold its annual Spring Clean-Up next week from Monday, March 26, through Saturday, March 31. Hours of operation will be 9:00am to 7:00pm.

Dumpsters will be available at the Roscoe recycling center at Business US 84 just north of the railroad tracks, and separate areas will be designated for tree limbs, brush, and metal objects. There will also be a place for tires.

For more information, contact City Hall during business hours at 325-766-3871.

--o--

ROSCOE LITTLE LEAGUE SIGN-UP DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MARCH 23.

It is signup time again for boys and girls who want to participate in this year’s Roscoe Little League program, and the deadline for registration is this Friday, March 23. The first meeting is also this Friday at 6:00pm at the Roscoe Elementary School.

If you have questions or need more information, contact David Pantoja at 325-280-1917. The Facebook page is here.

--o--

PLOWBOYS AND PLOWGIRLS RECEIVE DISTRICT HONORS IN BASKETBALL

The all-District 9-1A, Division I, honors have been announced, and a number of Plowboys and Plowgirls have been named.

For the Plowboys, sophomore Jesus Leanos was selected as one of two Newcomers of the Year. The other was Kelby Bell of Haskell. Also, Keeston Ford received honorable mention. The District MVP was Jesse Ramos from Stamford.

In addition, four boys received academic all-district recognition: Brant Burnett, Keeston Ford, John Hermosillo, and Luke Rovig.

For the Plowgirls, Lynnsi Moses was on the all-District first team. Jacinda Morales and Faith Boren were on the second team, while Sarah Kingston and Mirian Solis received honorable mention. The District MVP was Chelsea Rodgers of Hamlin.

Ten Plowgirls also made academic all-district: Kendall Moses, Lynnsi Moses, Natalie Anthony, Carolina Perez, Stina Tomlin, Jacinda Morales, Faith Boren, Torrey Willman, Sarah Kingston, and Mirian Solis.

--o--

PLOWBOY TRACK TEAMS DO WELL AT PIPER RELAYS IN HAMLIN

Several Plowboys and Plowgirls scored points at last Saturday’s Piper Relays in Hamlin. Athletes from 23 area high schools competed in the boys’ events, while girls from 27 high schools participated.

For the Plowboys, Jesus Leanos came in third in the 3200 meter race with a time of 11:00 minutes; Eduardo Gallegos was fourth in the 400 meter dash at 54.82 seconds; and Devon Freeman was fifth in the pole vault with a jump of 11’6”.

For the Plowgirls, Jacinda Morales was third in the 800 meter race with a time of 2:34.

Both the junior high and high school track teams will participate in Saturday’s track meet at Rotan. The meet begins at 9:00am.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

This was an unusual week for weather—not for the rainfall or the high temperatures, but for the lows. For four consecutive days—Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—the temperature never fell below 60°F, not normal at all for this time of year. The daily highs during this spell were in the mid to high seventies, except for Sunday when it got up to 83°.

Then on Monday morning, a front moved in, temperatures dropped, and we got about a quarter inch of rain, bringing the total for the year up to five inches.

Since then, the sun has come out, and it’s been breezy and cooler, with lows dropping back into the forties, more normal for this time of year. The forecast is for warmer weather as we move into the weekend with sunny skies and highs in the eighties and lows in the fifties.

Smackers Café Re-Opens Downtown

2012-03-14T10:08:00.000-05:00

Smackers Cafe

After a two-year hiatus, Smackers Café, on the corner of Broadway and Main, has quietly re-opened under new ownership and management. This time it’s a family affair with Jess and Bobbie Lambert the owners, Tim Lambert the baker, and Terry and Tammy Lambert the prep cooks.

Specializing in coffee and donuts, the new Smackers offers a variety of freshly baked pastries including cinnamon rolls, donuts, kolaches, fritters, and cakes. So far I’ve tried only the fresh cinnamon roll but can confirm that it was excellent.

In addition, you can order such food items as breakfast burritos, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pork cutlets, chicken-fried chicken, and daily specials.

Smackers is open from 6:00am to 2:00pm daily Monday through Saturday.

A Grand Opening is planned for later when all new equipment has arrived and is in operation.

--o--

RATTLESNAKE ROUNDUP A SUCCESS DESPITE THE WEATHER

The first two days of this year’s Rattlesnake Roundup at the Nolan County Coliseum suffered from the weekend’s cold, wet, and windy weather, but the crowds were out on Sunday afternoon, and the Sweetwater Reporter estimated that as many as 30,000 people overall attended the festivities.

Friday was so cold and wet that the annual Rattlesnake Roundup parade was called off, and Saturday was no better. Outside food vendors, the carnival, and outdoor activities suffered from a shortage of patrons. But Sunday was warm and sunny, and the crowds were so thick that just getting from one place to another was a problem, especially in and around the coliseum annex, where the vendors were located.

There were live music and dances on Friday and Saturday nights, a new Miss Snake Charmer was crowned, and the Gun, Knife & Coin Show was as good as ever. The Sweetwater Jaycees paid $10 a pound for rattlesnakes, and Donnie Willman had the longest beard in the the Jaycees’ beard contest.

--o--

COREY HATCHER NAMED STATE ALTERNATE IN WEIGHTLIFTING

Plowboy Corey Hatcher has been named as a state alternate in the 220-pound class after coming in third Saturday at the regional weightlifting meet in Sundown. He totaled 1365 pounds with a 500-pound squat, a 300-pound bench press, and a 515-pound dead lift.

Landon Jones placed seventh in the 181-pound class.

--o--

CITY COUNCIL PROCLAIMS APRIL CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH, SETS ELECTION DATES

The Roscoe City Council last night voted unanimously to proclaim April Child Abuse Awareness Month. The Nolan County Commissioners Court made a similar announcement on Monday.

The Council also set May 7 and 8 as days to stay open for twelve hours during the early voting at City Hall. The election will be in the Community Center on the following Saturday, May 12.

Two City Council seats are up for grabs, and there are three nominees—incumbent Robert McBride, recent appointee Christi Pepper Beal, and challenger Robert Fortin. The two candidates receiving the most votes will be elected.

The Council also received the city’s financial report from accountant Ricky Bowman and was informed on several matters by City Manager Cody Thompson. These included progress reports on the north side lift station, the water treatment plant and water lines, and Clean-Up Week, which will take place on the last week of this month.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

The weekend was cold, windy, wet, and miserable. With temperatures in the thirties, the Rattlesnake Roundup's annual parade was canceled on Friday, as was the track meet scheduled for Plowboy Field.

Temperatures never went below freezing but with a sharp north breeze, the wind chill went down to as low as 23°F, and a few snowflakes were witnessed here and there. All told, it was cloudy and drizzly for three days, yet the total precipitation for the spell was only about .3”, bringing the year’s total to 4.75 inches.

The skies cleared on Sunday, however, and the weather that afternoon was about as perfect as it gets, with a light breeze, sunny skies, and temperatures in the seventies. Monday was even warmer, with afternoon temperatures in the low eighties, but the wind was also higher. Yesterday was more like Sunday and was a beautiful day to be outside.

Local students have been enjoying the weather this week while they are on spring break.

The forecast for the next few days is for cloudy skies and a 20% to 30% chance of precipitation, with highs in the upper seventies and lows of only about sixty.

--o--

TRACK MEET AT HAMLIN ON SATURDAY

After postponing Roscoe’s scheduled track meet last Friday because of the weather, the Plowboys will resume their track season on Saturday with a meet at Hamlin, which starts at 9:00am.

Plowbots Win Awards in San Antonio

2012-03-07T10:12:00.000-06:00

The Plowbots at the San Antonio Convention Center last weekend.

Roscoe Collegiate High School’s robotics team, the Plowbots, won two awards at the Alamo Regional Event of the US First Robotics Competition, held at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio last weekend.

Their robot with its farming motif won the Creative Design Award, and the team also received the “Cooperatition Award” for its helpfulness toward other robotics teams during the competition.

They competed directly against high schools of all sizes and were just one of 64 teams in the event, making their successes all the more impressive.

In November, the Plowbots won the Big Country Hub Meet. They are led by Coach Dan Boren, and Club President is Hannah Weems. Their primary sponsors are the Texas Workforce Commission and Ludlum Industries.

--o--

LEANOS AND MORALES WIN AT ROBY TRACK MEET, PLOWBOYS HOST MEET ON FRIDAY

The Plowboys opened their track season at a meet in Roby last Saturday. In the boys’ competition, Jesus Leanos won the 3200-meter race and was second in the 1600. For the girls, Jacinda Morales was first in both the 400 and 800-meter runs.

Workmen are busy putting the final touches on the new track surface for this weekend’s track meets to be held at Plowboy Field. The junior high meet will be tomorrow afternoon, and the high school meet will start at 2:30pm on Friday.

--o--

RATTLESNAKE ROUNDUP IS THIS WEEKEND

Rattlesnake hunters display some of their catch in this 1957 rattlesnake hunt that inspired the Rattlesnake Round-Up.

The Annual Rattlesnake Roundup will be held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Nolan County Coliseum, and, as usual, plenty of Roscoe folks will be involved in the activities—as they have been since its inception in 1958.

In fact, Wilburn Hughes recently lent me a copy of an old Sweetwater Reporter article written by Otis Francis that says the Jaycees initially picked up the idea for the roundup from a 1957 rattlesnake hunt conducted by a group of men from Roscoe and Sweetwater who bagged 64 rattlers in a couple of hours.

In that group were Wilburn Hughes, Leon Davis, Harvey Staton, Hillis Thornburg, and H. T. Zimmerman from Roscoe and N. A. Dressler, Jimmy Dulaney, J. B. Harley, Slim Staton, and Harold Clegg from Sweetwater.

The complete schedule of this year’s roundup events, along with other information, is available on the Rattlesnake Roundup website, which you can access by clicking here.

--o--

DOYLE EDMISTON’S BASKETBALL CAREER REMEMBERED

An Abilene Reporter-News article published on Saturday mentioned Roscoe farmer Doyle Edmiston’s illustrious basketball career at Rising Star and at Hardin-Simmons University.

Selected All-Border Conference twice in a three-year career, he led the Cowboys with over a thousand career rebounds, still a school record. He also holds the single-game record with 31 against West Texas State. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1959.

The article is accessible by clicking here.

--o--

ROSCOE HIGH LEADS BIG COUNTRY WITH 2010 GRADUATION RATE

A recent article in The Abilene Reporter News reported that Texas ranked tenth in the nation for its 2010 high school graduation rate of 84.3% and that Roscoe Collegiate High School led schools in the Big Country with its graduation rate of 100%.

RISD Superintendent Kim Alexander stated that the school has had a 100% graduation rate since 2009. In 2008 its rate was 91.3%, and in 2007 it was 96.3%.

Texas had the fifth-highest rate for African-American students at 78.8 percent. The article is accessible by clicking here.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Spring seems to have arrived. The trees around town, excepting the mesquites, are all budding out, and temperatures have gotten up into the seventies the past couple of days. We've also been having springlike winds of 20-25 mph with gusts up to 40 out of the southwest--with wind advisories in effect for all of the Big Country.

The forecast is for more of the same today with a front coming in tomorrow that will cool things off and bring a 30% to 40% chance of precipitation as we move into the weekend.

Out of the Whirlwind: A Novel of Early-Day Roscoe

2012-02-29T10:10:00.000-06:00

Maurine Whorton in 1914 and the cover of her novel published in 1975.

I only recently learned that someone had written a novel set in Vista*, the early day precursor to Roscoe, but, when I did, I immediately went online and did a search for it. I located a hardback copy for ten dollars at a bookstore in North Carolina, ordered it, received it a few days later, and have now read it.

It was written by Maurine Whorton Redway, a graduate of Roscoe High School and member of the class of 1914. Her father, Daniel Boone Whorton, was one of the first settlers of the area, and the novel is apparently based on family stories Maurine must have heard while growing up.

The story begins in 1890 with the arrival of the Hunter family at Stop 53 west of Sweetwater. The main character, Boone Hunter, is obviously based on the author’s father, and his family closely resembles the Whorton family that came to Roscoe at that time.

Originally just a boxcar used as a depot, Stop 53 was a water stop for the T&P trains that came through. Their steam engines had to stop for water about every ten miles, so depots were set at each of the stops, and most of them later became communities: Cisco, Baird, Clyde, Abilene, Tye (originally called Tebo), Merkel, Trent, Eskota, Sweetwater, Roscoe, Loraine, Colorado City, etc.

When the Hunters arrive from Georgia in a boxcar to buy a farm and settle on the cheap, newly available land of the Blackland Divide, only one other family lives by the depot, the Fullers, and they immediately become friends.

As the story progresses, the Hunter family undergoes all the trials and tribulations encountered by early day settlers—drought, tornadoes, ice storms, wild animals, rattlesnakes, and worst of all, a group of rowdy cowboys led by the scoundrel Buck Brooks. These remnants of the open range drink whisky, run wild, and oppose the coming of the “nesters” who want to civilize the area, cultivate the land, raise families, build churches, and start communities.

While the story is fictional with the plot elements and characterization that make a novel a novel, it is laced with a lot of the early history of the area and provides the reader with a pretty good picture of what it must have been like to live in Roscoe in those early days when it was still known as Vista.

When the author describes the first church meetings taking place upstairs in the community’s only store, and the first school as just a bare building with desks paid for by fund raisers such as box dinner auctions, she is no doubt basing her descriptions on fact.
Sometimes she throws in long forgotten tidbits of history that are a revelation to read.

One example is the Johnson grass seed that Boone Hunter brings back from his first trip to Colorado City in 1890. Given to him by a farmer there, he is told that it will be good for grazing, but Boone has read that it is hard to get rid of, a fact substantiated that same year when the Texas legislature passed a law prohibiting the sale or gift of Johnson grass seeds.

Characters in the story include the Long family whose farm was southeast of town and Germans from the German settlement west of town, both obviously based on historical fact.

The story builds to a wild climax with a shootout and a big fire, after which peace is restored and the locals move into the twentieth century with high hopes for the future of their growing community.

Although the novel, published in 1975, never won a Pulitzer Prize or any other major literary awards, it is a rewarding read for anyone interested in the settling of this area and life as it was in the 1890s in Vista and early Roscoe.

* The first inhabitants of Roscoe originally called their new community Vista, but when they applied for a post office in 1892, they were told that there was already a town in Texas by that name, so they decided to call it Roscoe instead.

--o--

About the author: Born in Roscoe in 1898, Maurine Whorton grew up here and graduated from Roscoe High in 1914. She later earned a B.A. from the University of Texas and an M.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. She taught in Texas high schools for twenty-six years before joining the faculty at SMU, where she taught history for five years.

Her other books are Early Texas Homes, Marks of Lincoln on Our Land, and Marks of Lee on Our Land. She died in 1981 and was buried in the Roscoe Cemetery. Roscoe relations include the Whortons, Jays, and Frys.

Maurine Whorton Redway. Out of the Whirlwind: A West Texas Saga. San Antonio: Naylor, 1975.

--o--

† CAROL JEANE MOORE

Carol Jeane Moore, 80, died on Saturday at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. Private services for the family will be held today at 2:30pm at McCoy Chapel of Memories in Sweetwater, followed by cremation.

She was born June 19, 1931, in Oklahoma City and married Jack Moore there on November 25, 1950. A member of the First Christian Church in Abilene, she lived in Abilene from 1974 to 1983 and in Roscoe ever since. She was a homemaker.

Survivors include her husband, Jack Moore of Roscoe; daughter Linda Moore of Amarillo; two sons, Steven Moore of Houston and Brett Moore of Iowa Park; one granddaughter, one grandson, and five great-grandchildren.

No Roscoe Hard Times This Week

2012-02-21T14:32:00.000-06:00

Dear Readers,

Due to an illness in the family, I am in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a result, I am unable to produce an issue of the Roscoe Hard Times this week.

I hope to be back in Roscoe in time to post an issue next week.

Edwin Duncan

City Approves Improvements to Downtown Park

2012-02-15T10:21:00.000-06:00

Artist's depiction of the proposed layout for Old Town Park. The view is from Cypress at the bottom looking west toward the alley at the top. This drawing does not show the brick wall to be built in the back, and does show a gazebo, which will have to wait until the budget allows it.

At its meeting in City Hall on Monday evening, the Roscoe Community Development Corporation, also known as the B Board, approved proposed improvements to Old Town Park, the downtown park on Cypress across the street from City Hall and the Roscoe State Bank.

Improvements will feature a “plaza” in the form of a large Texas star approached by three semi-circular walkways and surrounded by lawns and a memorial to George Parks on the concrete slab that was once the floor of the Roscoe Times office. On either side of the star will be a large lamppost with a 19-inch tall globe.

There will also be a brick wall about 32” tall built along the alley in the back, which will have electrical outlets that can be plugged into during city events. The landscaper’s drawing for the park also includes a gazebo, but that will have to wait until the City’s budget allows it.

Work will begin on these improvements in March and will be finished in time for the Spring Fling on April 21.

--o--

SPRING FLING CELEBRATION ON SATURDAY, APRIL 21

Roscoe’s second Spring Fling Celebration will be on Saturday, April 21. Like last year, it will be held downtown “on the bricks” and will feature vendors, a bounce house and other kids’ inflatables, as well as live music, a street dance, and a fireworks show.

This year’s headline band is Eleven Hundred Springs, a popular Texas country rock band from the Fort Worth-Dallas Metroplex. One of the few remaining outlaw country bands, their influences include Willie Nelson, Buck Owens, and Doug Sahm. Some of their recorded songs may be heard by clicking here.

Having shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams III, and others, they should be just what local folks need to shake the winter doldrums and welcome the return of spring.

--o--

TRAVELIN’ FOR JESUS, RANDY BOEHMER COMES THROUGH ROSCOE

Randy Boehmer just east of Roscoe yesterday afternoon.

If you happened to notice someone coming through Roscoe yesterday in a covered wagon pulled by a team of Belgian draft mules, that would have been Randy Boehmer, coming down from northern Colorado and heading east along I-20.

A former taxidermist, he has been on the road now for almost four years, crisscrossing the country in his wagon with his dogs and mules and spreading the gospel to all who are willing to listen. A big sign on the sides of his wagon says, “Jesus Saves. Ask Him.”

When asked how he manages to live, he responded by saying, “God provides.” Most of his earthly possessions are there with him in his wagon. “Things aren’t important,” he said. “Life here on earth is short compared to eternity.” A small feed wagon attached behind contains hay and oats for his mules.

He was more interested in talking about Jesus than about himself, but he did say his life changed after he watched his wife die of cancer. He began reading the Bible during that time, accepted Jesus, and has been spreading the word of God ever since.

When last seen, he was on the access road next to I-20 on his way to Sweetwater.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

On Thursday night it rained just enough to get the sidewalk wet, and the second half of last week was cooler than normal. The high temperature Saturday was only 37°F with a wind chill factor of 23°. On Sunday, the high was 32°, and that afternoon it snowed steadily for a couple of hours, leaving about an inch and a half of snow on the ground. Roscoe’s weatherman, Kenny Landfried, recorded .31” of precipitation from the snowfall.

Then Monday was one of those quick changes typical of Texas. It was sunny and warmed up into the sixties, and by three o’clock all of Sunday’s snow was completely gone. It was followed yesterday by one of those beautiful spring days that arrives early—sunny skies, a light breeze, and a 72°F afternoon. You couldn’t ask for a prettier day, especially in the middle of February.

The forecast is for another warm day today, but windier this time around, followed by cooler days this weekend with highs in the mid-fifties and lows in the mid-thirties.

--o--

ROSCOE’S SPRING CLEANUP DATES SET FOR MARCH 26-31

This year’s spring cleanup will be from Monday, March 26, through Saturday, March 31. Dumpsters will be available at the Roscoe recycling center at Business US 84 just across the railroad tracks, and separate areas will be designated for tree limbs, brush, and metal objects.

--o--

CITY COUNCIL PASSES MOBILE HOME ORDINANCE

At its meeting last night in City Hall, the City Council passed an ordinance pertaining to mobile homes, travel trailers, and “HUD-Code Manufactured Homes,” or homes transportable in pieces at least 8 feet wide and 40 feet long.

Such structures moving into the city will have to have proper skirting, anchoring, and blocking in accordance with state standards. Ones already in the city will not be subject to the new requirements unless they are sold and under new ownership.

Travel trailers may be brought in temporarily during the construction or repair of a home but will require a written permit from the City of Roscoe. Permits will be valid for six months and must follow the city standards for the disposal of sewage and trash.

For details, contact City Hall at 325-766-3871.

Roscoe Firehouse Gets a Makeover

2012-02-08T10:24:00.002-06:00

Roscoe Fire Engine No. 2 stands on display before the newly painted American flag.

The Roscoe Fire Station on 909 Broadway, home of the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department, is looking spiffy after getting some recent refurbishing.

A new show window shows off the shiny, classic Roscoe Fire Truck No. 2, a 1938 Ford purchased new by the city in April 1938, and new awnings grace the outside of the building.

Additionally, Fort Worth artist Dave Larcom has painted a big American flag on the inside west wall, visible from the outside.

--o--

KEVIN PANTOJA SELECTED FOR TRIP TO EUROPE

Kevin Pantoja, a freshman at Highland High and son of Felix and Aida Pantoja, has been selected as a student ambassador of People to People, a program started by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 to promote cultural awareness through travel and direct interaction. Students chosen must have good grades and meet other requirements.

He will travel with other area students in a group led by Cheryl Warren, who teaches math at Colorado City High. They will visit Italy, Greece, and France during a twenty-day stay.

Kevin says he is looking forward to visiting countries where our soldiers sacrificed so much in times of war as well as learning about other cultures and meeting other people. He is eager to be a representative of Texas and Nolan County.

He could use your generosity in helping to pay for the trip. Each Saturday of this month there will be a garage sale just inside the México Lindo Restaurant on the corner of Cypress and Broadway, and you may also see him selling candy or doing other things to raise money.

Donations are also greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, contact Felix at 325-514-8384 or Aida at 325-766-3011. More about the People to People program is available on its website, which you can access by clicking here.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS FALL TO HAMLIN, WIN CLOSE ONE OVER STAMFORD

The Plowgirls remain in contention for the playoffs after coming away with a split this past week, losing to Hamlin on Friday night and winning another close one over Stamford last night.

The Lady Pied Pipers, who have lost only once all year, were too much for the Plowgirls, beating them by a score of 60-19. The victory made Hamlin 8-1 in district and 25-1 overall.
Lynnsi Moses led the Plowgirls with 12 points while Faith Boren had 4. The halftime score was 27-8.

Then, last night at Stamford, the Plowgirls eked out another win over the Lady Bulldogs 33-31. Moses scored 13 for Roscoe and Boren had 10. The halftime score was Roscoe 17-Stamford 10.

The Plowgirls are now 5-4 in district and 15-13 for the year. Their next game, the last on the regular schedule, will be in Plowboy Gymnasium on Friday night against the Lady Moguls of Munday.

--o--

PLOWBOYS LOSE TO HAMLIN AND STAMFORD

The Plowboys had another rough week in basketball, losing to Hamlin last Friday night in Roscoe and to Stamford last night in Stamford.

The Hamlin score was 45-18. High scorer for the Plowboys was Jesus Leanos with 12, while Keeston Ford had 4. The halftime score was 16-8.

Last night’s score was 67-22. Leanos once again led the Plowboys with 10 points, while Luke Rovig had 5 and Ford 4.

The Plowboys are now 1-7 in district play and 1-22 on the year. The next game, their last, will be in Plowboy Gymnasium on Friday against Munday.

--o--

TOMLIN AND WILLMAN PLACE IN FORT WORTH FAT STOCK SHOW

Stina Tomlin’s goat came in eleventh, and Torrey Willman’s Hampshire hog came in thirteenth at the Southwest Exposition and Fat Stock Show in Fort Worth this past weekend.

Several Roscoe students will be showing their animals at the San Angelo Stock Show starting this weekend.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Punxatawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog, saw his shadow on Thursday, meaning he’s predicting six more weeks of winter, while Bee Cave Bob, the Austin armadillo who makes the Texas prediction, came out of his hole and ran around, which portends an early spring. The television clip I saw claims that he’s been correct for all three years he’s been in the prediction business.

He also turned out to be correct on his sports pick, which was for a Giants victory in the Super Bowl. And, he’s made a political pick in the Presidential race, walking to his left when given that question. We’ll just have to wait and see how that one comes out.

The 40% and 50% chances of rain predicted for last Thursday and Friday were totally off as skies never even clouded up but remained clear with stars visible at night and sunny skies by day. Instead, Thursday and Friday were springlike with sunny skies and temperatures climbing into the seventies.

On Friday evening, however, a cold front passed through and since then the weather’s been cool, with highs around fifty and lows around the freezing mark.

The forecast is for continued cool weather through the weekend.

--o--

ROSCOE IN DAYS GONE BY (THE WONDERS OF TECHNOLOGY SECTION)

From the October 16, 1906, edition of The Roscoe Times:

New York burglars are traveling around to business in automobiles. If you wish to avoid being mistaken for a burglar or a capitalist, don’t travel in an automobile.

And, from the December 6, 1918, edition:

Two airplanes passed over Roscoe Thursday morning westbound. They each came unannounced, and no one could have dreamed an airplane was within a hundred miles of Roscoe until the buzzing of the motor was heard.

While passing over the city, each aviator emitted a few yells that could be distinctly heard.

It is understood that the aviators were making the trip preparatory to establishing a route from Dallas to San Diego, Calif. In the event the route is established, Roscoe will be on the line, and airplanes will become as familiar to us as Fords and automobiles.

Vaquero Grill Opens on South Main

2012-02-01T11:02:00.003-06:00

The Vaquero Grill

Roscoe’s newest restaurant, the Vaquero Grill, opened for business on Saturday. Located on 1006 S. Main Street, it is where the Roscoe Flower & Gift Shop used to be, across the street from the Stripes station and just north of Hagerman’s Napa Auto Parts.

Owned and operated by Victoria Armenta, the Vaquero Grill is open seven days a week, 6:00am to 9:00pm Monday through Friday and 8:30am to 9:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Both Mexican and American food are served, and a wide variety of dishes is available. A glance at the breakfast menu, for example, reveals such choices as the John Wayne Plate (2 eggs, two sausages, hash browns, and toast), several kinds of pancakes, huevos rancheros, and several varieties of breakfast burritos, along with other choices.

Dinner choices include taco, tostada, burrito, and fajita plates among others, along with burgers, chicken fried steak, catfish, and steak. Daily lunch specials are offered, as are children’s plates.

Prices are reasonable and fairly standard for this area, and there is a 10% discount for senior citizens. Private parties may be booked, as there is room to seat 16 guests comfortably.

For more information, phone 325-766-3460.

--o--

RS&P HISTORICAL MARKER APPROVED FOR MEMORIAL PARK

At its meeting on January 27 the Texas Historical Commission approved the issuing of an official historical marker commemorating the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway and the contributions it made to Roscoe. Sponsored by Suzie Alford’s third graders, the 18” x 28” marker will be placed in the Memorial Park on Cypress and Broadway, across the street from the Roscoe Historical Museum.

And speaking of the RS&P, the Roscoe Historical Museum has recently added an RS&P website. It is still a work in progress, but enough has been done to officially announce its existence. Besides some slideshows, there is also a prose history of the short-line railroad that served Roscoe from its first run to Snyder in 1908 to its last one in 1983. Its home page is here.

--o--

SOME INFORMATION ON THE ST. GEORGE HOTEL

A couple of weeks back I mentioned that I’d been unable to find out anything about the St. George Hotel, which used to be in Roscoe. But Bruce McGlothlin, owner of the Feed Store and More, told me he felt sure he’d seen something about it somewhere before, and, sure enough, he was going through a box of papers the other day and found an old article about Roscoe that J. B. Cooper, Jr., had once given him.

Entitled “Roscoe, the Magic City of West Texas,” it was published in the July 16, 1908, issue of the Sweetwater Telegram. A long article for a newspaper, it begins by talking about how Roscoe is booming and what a wonderful town it is. Then it lists all the major businesses in town and writes a brief paragraph about each one—and the St. George Hotel is on the list.

Here’s what the article says about it:

St. George Hotel – The principal commercial hostelry of Roscoe is the St. George. This hotel is a good one, and commercial travelers know just what we mean when we say that. Mr. I. T. George has been at the head of this house for the past two years, and by constant effort in catering to the wants of the traveling public has now a good substantial business. The house contains 21 rooms in all, well and comfortably fitted up for the accommodation of all guests. Rates from $1.25 to $2.00 per day.

So, there it is. It doesn’t answer all the questions we asked about it, but it’s a lot more information than we had. I wonder if Mr. George considered himself the St. George in the name of the hotel. There has to be a story there. In any case, thanks to Bruce McGlothlin for providing this information. The article has specific information about the various businesses of the town in 1908 and provides fresh insights into what life was like in those early days.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS BEAT MAIDENS, LADY YELLOWHAMMERS

The Plowgirls stayed in contention for the playoffs by winning two more games this past week. On Friday night they defeated Haskell 34-29. Faith Boren was Roscoe’s high scorer with 11 points. Lynnsi Moses had 7, and Sara Kingston had 5. The Plowgirls led at the half 16-15.

Then last night in Rotan they defeated the Lady Yellowhammers 42-24.

The Plowgirls are now 14-13 on the year and 4-4 in district play. Their next game is here on Friday night against Hamlin.

--o--

PLOWBOYS LOSE TO HASKELL AND ROTAN

The Plowboys lost two more games this past week. On Friday night, the Haskell Indians beat them in Plowboy Gymnasium 69-31. The halftime score was 30-15. Jesus Leanos was the high scorer for the Plowboys with 12 points. Luke Rovig was next with 7, while Keeston Ford had 6.

Then last night the Plowboys fell to Rotan in Rotan 50-42. They are now 1-19 on the year and 1-6 in district. Their next game is Friday night at home against Hamlin.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Since rain was still falling as I posted last week's issue, I was unable to post its total. At the end of the day, Roscoe's official weatherman, Kenny Landfried, had 1.5" in his rain gauge on the east side of town, while Lyndall Underwood's on the west side of town had 1.3". Reports I heard about other area locations seemed to fall within that range.

The rain brought January's total up to 3.25", the most Roscoe has recorded for that month since 1983, which had 3.48". The only other year since then with as much as three inches in January was 1991 with 3.09".

It would be nice if a wet January were a harbinger for a wet year, and indeed that was the case for 1991, the wettest year on record for Roscoe with an official total of 37.05". But the total for 1983 was 19.42", more than two inches below the average. We'll just have to wait and see.

The rest of the week was sunny and generally very nice for January. The last couple of days have been t-shirt weather with highs in the upper sixties and lower seventies. Today and tomorrow should also be warm and sunny with a 50% chance of rain tomorrow night and a 40% chance on Friday. The weekend will be sunny and cooler with highs in the fifties.

--o--

† TIMOTHY SCOTT GRAY

Timothy Scott Gray, 39, of Champion died on Friday at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas due to complications from a chronic illness. Funeral services were held yesterday at Trinity Baptist Church in Sweetwater and followed by interment in the Champion Cemetery.

Timothy Scott Gray was born on November 19, 1972, in St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up in St. Louis and Victoria, Texas, and graduated from Victoria High School in 1991. He then served for five years in the Air Force and met Kimberly Cornutt while stationed in Abilene. They were married in 1996, had two children, and lived in Champion. A member of the Trinity Baptist Church in Sweetwater, he worked as an electronics technician for Ludlum Electronics and served on the Highland ISD Board of Trustees.

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and two children, Kylie and Dustin, of Champion; parents, Chris and Rosemary Jochen of Victoria; sisters, Rachel and Mallory Jochen of San Antonio; brothers, Derek and Matthew Gray of St. Louis; grandparents, Harold and Joyce Ulch of Cedar Hill, Mo.; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Donnie and Jarmila Cornutt of Champion; as well as aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins.

An Unknown Local Hero from World War II?

2012-01-25T10:47:00.000-06:00

John Pickens, USN, and his letter to Marion Duncan. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Last October when I prepared a military display for the Roscoe Historical Museum honoring Roscoe’s veterans, I included a book entitled The Men and Women in World War II from Nolan County, which contains photos and information of over 850 local men and women who served in that conflict. It never occurred to me at the time that of all the people included in that book, none of them were black.

Recently, however, I was looking through some materials left to the Roscoe Historical Museum by longtime local farmer Marion Duncan, who died in 2004. Among them was an envelope with an enclosed letter and photograph from John Pickens, a black man who had obviously worked for Mr. Duncan and had probably lived on his place west of town. Like many other young men and women in those days, both black and white, he had also apparently joined the military service when war broke out.

The letter, written by Pickens from the U. S. Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Washington, in January 1943, is a fascinating relic of the war and at the very least deserves some recognition, so I present it to you here in its entirety exactly as it was written. As you notice the misspellings, keep in mind that black people who grew up in west Texas in those days had little to no formal schooling, and it was unusual to find one who had been beyond the third grade.

     U S naval Hospital – Ward – E,                1-13-43

     Mr Merrion Duncan
     Dear frind Just a few lines to let you
     here from me I am filling puty good now
     I ben in hospital 3 mounths all redy
     I had 3 Ribs Broke and my right leg Broke
     I stayed in the water 10 days on a life Raft
     Nothing to Eat no water to Drink it was 7
     of us got Save some got lost My ship was
     sunk at the Battle of Soloms iland 2 torpeds
     hit my ship By a sub rine one morning a Bout
     3 30 oclock But when I get up I am gowing
     Back to the Sea some great Day I will Come to
     Bee a hero I hope cost I know I am cripple
     But never mind my cripple leg let me
     show my uncle Sam what I coud help
     Bring them axis Down a pag cost gord [ed.: peg because God?]
     give me right to Bee a free amer icon
     how is your father and sister and the
     Boys tell then helo for me
     So the Best of Luck to you all
     So I will close
     U S Naval Hospital – Ward – E
     Bremerton Wash
     John Pickens J D Jr USNR

The Battle of the Solomon Islands took place August 24-25, 1942, and was a major naval battle between the American and Japanese fleets. Pickens may have been on the destroyer Blue, which was sunk by a Japanese torpedo.

If any of you have any information about John Pickens or any other local black men or women who served in the military in World War II, I’d be interested in knowing it. Their roles in the war should also be remembered and their service honored.

--o--

ROSCOE STUDENTS WIN HONORS, AWARDS AT THE NOLAN COUNTY STOCK SHOW

Several members of the Roscoe FFA came away with honors at the Nolan County Livestock Show held in the Nolan County Coliseum last weekend.

Stina Tomlin had the Grand Champion goat as well as the Champion BOPB (Black Other Pure Breeds) swine; Devon Freeman and Hannah Weems both received Nolan County Livestock Association scholarships, Devon’s for $700 and Hannah’s for $500; and Alura Renteria, Devon Freeman, and Luis Villa all won showmanship honors, while Christian Diaz received an honorary showmanship award.

Other Roscoe winners included in swines John Ruben Herrerra with the 2nd place Duroc middleweight, Cameron Fisher with the 2nd place WOPB (White Other Pure Breeds), Alura Renteria with the 3rd place Cross Light Weight, and Cameron Fisher with the 3rd place Cross Heavy Weight.

In goats, Kamren Fisher got a 2nd place in Class 3, and Chasity Diaz got a 3rd place in Class 4.

Several Roscoe students are preparing to show their animals at the upcoming Southwest Exposition and Fat Stock Show in Fort Worth.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS DOWN STAMFORD IN 44-41 THRILLER

Plowgirl Lynnsi Moses calmly made three consecutive free throws with only a couple of seconds left to break a 41-41 tie as the Plowgirls won another close one in Plowboy Gymnasium Friday night. Even then the game was still in doubt as a Stamford player threw up a long three-point shot at the buzzer that bounced off the rim.

Moses led the Plowgirls with 21 points, while Faith Boren had 12. The Plowgirls are 12-12 on the year now and 2-3 in district play. They played Munday in Munday last night.

--o--

PLOWBOYS DROP TWO, ONE TO STAMFORD AND ONE TO MUNDAY

Stamford remained undefeated in district play by defeating the Plowboys 55-20 in Roscoe Friday night. The game was never in doubt as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 27-2 lead in the first quarter and then cruised the rest of the game. The halftime score was 42-8.

Hermosillo had 6 points for the Plowboys and Matthew Cuellar and Cutter Davila both had 5.
Then last night, the Plowboys lost another one, this time to Munday in Munday 66-17. Once again, the game was never in doubt as the Moguls jumped out to a 31-3 first quarter lead and were up at the half 54-9. Jesus Leanos had 7 for the Plowboys, and Keeston Ford and Cutter Davila both had 4.

Munday is now 4-1 in district play and the Plowboys are 1-4. They face Haskell here on Friday.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

The first sandstorm of the year came on Sunday, and it was a big one with sustained winds of 20-30 miles per hour and gusts well above that for a large part of the afternoon. During its height, several of the composition shingles on the roof of my house blew off and landed in the back yard, and I had to get up on the roof and nail several others down to keep them from doing the same thing.

The dusty skies are gone now. A front moved through yesterday, and it started raining after midnight last night. So far, the area has received a half to three-quarters of an inch, and a steady drizzle is still falling. The forecast for today and tonight is for more of the same with sunny skies and cooler temperatures returning tomorrow.

--o--

ROSCOE EXPRESSIONS CHANGES HOURS OF OPERATION

Roscoe Expressions, formerly the Roscoe Emporium, in the Shelansky Building on the corner of Cypress and Broadway, announces new hours for the store. It is now open from 3pm-6pm on Tuesday, 1:30pm-6pm Wednesday through Friday, and 10am-3pm on Saturday.

They receive new merchandise weekly and have now added furniture.

--o--

CIRCUS COMING TO TOWN

Circus Cico will be putting on two shows this weekend in the Community Center, one at 4:30pm, the other at 7:00pm with gates opening one hour prior. The flyer lists "Acrobats, jugglers, dare devils, funny clowns, beautiful girls and many more surprises." The listed price is $7 for children while nothing is listed for adults.

--o--

† NETTIE ANNLEE TOLLISON

Nettie Annlee Tollison, 93, of Lafayette, Louisiana, passed away on January 14 in Lafayette. Graveside services were held on Saturday, January 21, at Roscoe Cemetery.

Born December 15, 1918, in Arlington, she worked in health care for over forty years. She is survived by four children, Betty Joyce Ellison of Sweetwater, Patsy Yvonne Ribble of Irving, Dennis Sherman Colwell of Sherwood, Arkansas, and Dianne Guidry of Lafayette, Louisiana; 13 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-greatchildren.

She was preceded in death by her son, Bobby Joe Colwell; daughter, Glenda Ruth Davis; and granddaughter, Betsy Ribble.

The Mystery of the St. George Hotel

2012-01-18T10:44:00.006-06:00

The St. George Hotel. Judging by the automobiles, the picture seems to have been taken around 1912.

As curator of the Roscoe Historical Museum, I am always on the lookout for photos, images and information of early day Roscoe, and my searches on the Internet have occasionally been rewarded with finds that illuminate aspects of the city’s history that I previously knew little or nothing about.

One example is the old photograph at top left from a collection at Hardin-Simmons University showing a large two-story depot under construction. The description that accompanies it says it was in Roscoe, Texas. However, it looks pretty grand for Roscoe, and I might have questioned the location if I didn’t have a Dallas Morning News article from August 27, 1898, that says the Texas & Pacific was building a new depot in Roscoe to replace the old one that burned down—and that the new one “when completed, will be an ornament to the town.”

At the same time, I did doubt the accuracy of another old photograph from the same collection also described as being from Roscoe. This one, shown above, is of a fine-looking building with three floors (counting the attic) called the St. George Hotel.

In stories I’d heard from my father, my uncle Marion, George Parks, Mary Edna Worthy and other local historians, I’d heard of several hotels in Roscoe—the Turk, the Bourland, the Kern, and the Rex—but never had I ever heard mention of anything about a St. George Hotel, especially considering that it would have been bigger than any of the others.

Likewise, Sid Gracey, in her 1924 essay on the early history of Roscoe, mentions other early Roscoe hotels, but says nothing about a St. George. So I figured someone had made a mistake, as sometimes happens with old photographs, and forgot about it.

Then, a few days ago, I learned that the Fire Department owns a scrapbook containing fire department information that goes back to the incorporation of the city in 1907. Naturally, I was interested in what it contained, so, after getting permission to look it over and scan some of its pictures, I took it home and went to work. One of the first photographs in the scrapbook is this one of east Roscoe, said to be taken in 1908:

View from Second and Pecan Streets looking northeast toward the cemetery on the horizon. The St. George Hotel (left in picture) is located at the corner of First and Pecan Streets. To the right of the hotel and across the railroad tracks is the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway shops. (Someone has written 1908 at the bottom of the photograph.)

And, lo and behold, there on the left-hand side of the picture is a big hotel—the St. George, and the caption below the photo specifically mentions it by name.

Moreover, on the same page of the scrapbook is a copy of the December 15, 1908, minutes of the City Council, which contains the following:

Be it ordained by the City Council of Roscoe that no frame buildings shall be constructed or built or moved within said limit without a permit from Council; said limit to be bounded on north by T&P Railroad, on east by St. George Hotel, thence south to 3rd Street, thence west to Moon Shop.

So, the evidence seems conclusive. There was indeed a St. George Hotel in east Roscoe, apparently on Broadway and Pecan. But if that is the case, why wasn’t it a part of the general memory of the city’s history? How could such a nice, big hotel be apparently forgotten? When was it built, who owned it, and whatever could have happened to it?

I asked several people about it but, like me, none of them had ever heard of it—not my mother, not Arlon Wayne Orman, who’s pretty knowledgeable about Roscoe history, not Harold Duvall, who also knows quite a bit, nor anyone else that I asked.

Yesterday, however, while on a visit to my mother over at the rest home in Sweetwater, I ran into Pauline Heine, who’s lived in and around Roscoe practically all her life. Like my mother, she is 104 years old and still clear-headed.

I asked her if she’d ever heard of the St. George Hotel, and she said no, she didn’t think so. I said it was on Broadway in the early days over in the east part of town, and she said, “It was a pretty big hotel, wasn’t it?” I said yes, and she said she seemed to remember it. I asked her if she knew anything about it or what happened to it, but she said she didn’t.

So, if you know anything at all about the St. George, a fine old hotel that used to be in east Roscoe, please let me know. I’d be happy to learn anything you can tell me.

--o--

COMMUNITY CENTER LOOKING A LOT BETTER AFTER CLEANUP

The Roscoe Community Center got a facelift last week as volunteers gave it a good cleaning. On Wednesday and Thursday Coilla Smith brought a group of high school students, who took out all the old ceiling tiles and replaced them with new ones, which wasn’t a clean or easy job. The Community Center is about 6,000 square feet, and the tiles were all covered with dust and insulation—and if you’ve ever worked with fiberglass insulation, you’ll know what a pain that is to deal with. Nevertheless, the students got it all done, earning the highest praise of Mayor Pete Porter and other city officials.

Then on Saturday a group of adult volunteers gave the inside a good cleaning and straightening up, removing all the old debris and making the kitchen and other areas spic and span. The only task that remains is to buff the floor, and that will be done soon.

--o--

NOLAN COUNTY STOCK SHOW SCHEDULE, JANUARY 18-21

The annual Nolan County Livestock Show is under way at the Nolan County Coliseum in Sweetwater. Here is the schedule of events:

Wednesday 6:00pm - Steer Show, then Heifer Show

Thursday 4:00pm - Goat Show, then Lamb Show
5:00pm - Rabbit Show, then Broiler Show

Friday 4:30pm Swine Show

     Saturday 10:00am - Honorary Show
                          11:00am – Barbecue
                          1:00pm – Awards, Premium Sale

--o--

PLOWBOYS END LOSING STREAK WITH VICTORY OVER ROTAN, BUT FALL TO HAMLIN

Move over, Indianapolis Colts. After going winless for fifteen games, the Plowboys’ basketball team broke the streak Friday night with a close victory over Rotan 33-32, making them 1-1 in district play. Jesus Leanos led all scorers with 19 points while Dillon Freeman had 6. Roscoe led at halftime 18-12.

However, they weren’t able to make it two in a row. Against Hamlin last night, they fell by a score of 43-34. Leanos was again the high scorer for the Plowboys, this time with 14, while Freeman had 8. The score at halftime was 21-17.

The Plowboys are now 1-2 in district play and will face Stamford here at home on Friday night.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS DEFEAT ROTAN 42-26, LOSE TO HAMLIN 50-35

Like the Plowboys, the Plowgirls took care of business against Rotan on Friday but were unable to do the same against the undefeated Lady Pied Pipers last night, falling by a score of 50-35. Hamlin is now 22-0 on the season and 4-0 in district play, while the Plowgirls are 11-12 overall and 1-3 in district.

High scorer for the Plowgirls was Lynnsi Moses with 11, followed by Stina Willman with 6. The halftime score was 24-17.

The Plowgirls also face Stamford at home this Friday.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

It was a week of normal winter weather with sunny skies and high temperatures in the 50s and 60s and lows in the 30s. Sunday and Monday were springlike with 70° afternoons, but a cold front blew in yesterday dropping temperatures down into the fifties yesterday afternoon and the low twenties last night. However, the forecast for the next few days is for warmer weather with highs in the sixties and seventies. No rain is predicted.

New Business to Open Downtown

2012-01-11T10:07:00.010-06:00

The Lamberts plan to re-open Smackers as a coffee and donut shop.

Jim Covey, who owned and ran Smackers Café for years, has sold the Smackers building on the corner of Broadway and Main to Jess Lambert, who plans to re-open the place as a coffee and donut shop.

Nothing is written in stone, but the plan is to open as soon as possible—probably within a month or month and a half—with Tim Lambert as the manager. The times of operation are also still not set with the morning hours the only firm decision at this point.

Nevertheless, it will be great to be able once again to have coffee and breakfast downtown, and we all wish the Lamberts great success with their new venture.

--o--

VOLUNTEER WORKDAY AT COMMUNITY CENTER THIS SATURDAY

A volunteer workday has been planned for the Roscoe Community Center this coming Saturday, January 14, starting at 9:00am. Your help will be appreciated.

Coilla Smith and a group of students are kicking off the work today and tomorrow by taking down the ceiling tiles, which need to be replaced.

For more information, contact City Hall during work hours at 325-766-3871.

--o--

AREA SEES FIRST PRECIPITATION OF THE YEAR

Roscoe saw precipitation in almost every imaginable form this past week as rain, snow, sleet, and even some small hail fell at one point or another during the past few days.

Last weekend the weather was sunny and mild with lows in the thirties and highs ranging from 55° to 70°F. However, on Sunday a front moved in, cooling things off and bringing clouds and a little over a quarter of an inch of rain.

Then on early Monday, the storm hit full force with thunder, lightning, small hail, snow, sleet, and a generally slow-falling rain. That evening it snowed enough to knock out the signal for those who get their television via satellite, necessitating climbs to the roofs to get the snow out of the satellite dishes. Precipitation continued to fall off and on until yesterday morning, when the sun came back out and began melting the snow.

Areas west of Roscoe got more snow than Roscoe did. Odessa and Midland got about ten inches, and Snyder had three. But Roscoe got more than Sweetwater and Abilene, where it didn’t snow at all.

Roscoe got about two inches of snow and about 1.9 inches of precipitation overall, more than the monthly average for January. Water was standing all over town yesterday with several intersections full of the wet stuff and puddles in all the low places.

The generally slow rainfall was welcome and can only be good for land still in need of moisture after all the extreme dry weather of last year.

--o--

NOLAN COUNTY LIVESTOCK SHOW SET FOR NEXT WEEK

Several Roscoe students will be competing for prizes next weekend at the annual Nolan County Livestock Show in the Nolan County Coliseum. Calves, goats, and sheep will be shown on Thursday, January 19, and swine on Friday, January 20, starting at 4:00pm. The Peewee Show will be on Saturday at 8:00am, followed by the sale.

The Nolan County Livestock Association is selling raffle tickets for a drawing on Saturday, January 21. Tickets are $20 apiece, and proceeds go to the stock show, so you can help out by purchasing one or two. They are available from Bruce McGlothlin at the Feed Store and More, and Allen Richburg, among others.

Prizes include an AR-15 rifle, a 51” wide-screen TV, a barbecue pit, an iPad, yard art, a tool set, a digital camera, a portable DVD player, and five $100 gift cards to local businesses.

For more information, contact the event organizers at 325- 235-5488.

--o--

CITY TO PURCHASE LAND NORTH OF RAILROAD

The City of Roscoe’s Type A Board is in the process of buying the 3.2 acres of land just northwest of the railroad crossing at Cypress. The Union Pacific Railway currently owns the land and has agreed to the terms of the sale.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS AND PLOWBOYS LOSE DISTRICT OPENERS IN BASKETBALL

The Plowgirls began district play Friday night by losing at home to the Munday Lady Moguls 52-46. Lynnsi Moses was high scorer for the Plowgirls with 24 points while Sara Kingston made 10.

They lost again at Haskell last night by a score of 37-25.

The Plowboys also lost at Haskell. The final score was 62-29.

The Plowgirls’ and Plowboys’ next games will be against Rotan in Plowboy Gymnasium on Friday night.

Several Plowboys Make All-District Football Team

2012-01-04T10:38:00.000-06:00

Plowboys face off against Munday in September game.

Despite the team’s losing record this fall, several Plowboy football players earned the respect of district opponents and coaches and were named to this year’s District 7-1A first and second teams:

First-Team Defense:

     Tackle - Corey Hatcher
     End - Devon Freeman
     Inside linebacker - Eric Padilla
     Defensive back - Luke Rovig
     Utility player - Matthew Cuellar

Second-Team Offense:

Lineman: Arthur Rhoades

Second-Team Defense:

    Linebacker - Chris De Leon
    Defensive Back - Brant Burnett
    Punter - Luke Rovig

Congratulations to these Plowboys for honors well earned!

District 7-1A’s Most Valuable Player was Matthew Schovajsa of Crosbyton, and Coach of the Year was Brannon Rogers, also of Crosbyton.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS STOP EULA, WIN & LOSE IN STERLING CITY TOURNAMENT

The Plowgirls have been busy since Christmas, playing three games in the Sterling City Tournament last week and another one last night at home against Eula.

They handily won last night’s game with the Lady Pirates 34-19. High scorer for the Plowgirls was Mirian Solis with 13 points, while Sara Kingston made 10.

At Sterling City, they won one game and lost two. They beat Forsan in overtime 43-39 with Kingston scoring 15 and Lynnsi Moses 12. Then they lost to Sterling City 54-35. Kingston was high scorer with 12 while Moses had 11.

They also lost to Borden County 33-28. Moses had 16 points and Kingston 5.

Their next action will be against Munday on Friday here in Roscoe.

--o--

PLOWBOYS LOSE TO EULA, DROP THREE OTHERS AT STERLING CITY

The Eula Pirates, last year’s Class A State Champions, were too much for the struggling Plowboys last night, beating them by a score of 78-17. The halftime score was 44-10.
Jesus Leanos had 6 for the Plowboys and Keeston Ford had 5.

The Plowboys also lost three games in the Sterling City Tournament last week. Forsan beat them 49-31 with Cutter Davila scoring 12 for Roscoe and Ford 10.

They then lost to TLCA (Tender Love & Care Academy) 65-40. In that game, Ford had 13 points and Leanos 10.

Finally, they lost to Irion County 61-31 with Leanos the high scorer with 17 points.

Their next game will also be against Munday at Plowboy Gymnasium on Friday night.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Skies were sunny and bright for the entire week. Last Wednesday was cool, but the weather warmed up on Thursday and Friday with highs in the sixties and only light breezes. On Saturday, the temperature got up to 77°F and was as pretty a day as you could ask for this time of year.

A cold front blew in on Saturday night and the New Year came in with temperatures in the low thirties with brisk breezes. It has been relatively cool since then, warming slightly to yesterday afternoon’s low sixties.

The forecast is for continued sunny skies with highs in the fifties and sixties and lows in the thirties.

Happy New Year 2012! And a Look Back at 2011.

2011-12-28T10:01:00.011-06:00

The time to say goodbye to 2011 has almost arrived, and what a year it has been!

Like other years, there’s been good news and there’s been bad news, and since it’s better to finish on an up note, maybe it’s more appropriate to start with the bad news—which this year was dominated by the weather.

For the people of Roscoe, 2011 will likely go down as one of its most memorable years ever in terms of the weather—and not in a good way. It was a year of extremes and broken records.

It began at the end of January with the coldest weather in a generation. Back to back storms hit the area hard, bringing temperatures all the way down to 6°F with sharp north winds and wind chills of well below zero. The storms left in their wake a multitude of broken pipes and related disasters.

The intense cold was followed by what can only be described as the spring from hell. The whole country, already dry from the lack of rain since the preceding October, went into full drought mode with high winds, dust storms, and wildfires. A blaze just north of Colorado City in early March burned over 10,000 acres, and destroyed many homes. It was just the first of many wildfires that would plague the area over the next few months.

By mid-April, wildfires were burning all over the Big Country, and the City of Roscoe’s Spring Fling Festival was held with the smell of smoke in the air from a big fire out of control in Coke County near Robert Lee.

In April the temperature was more like that of a normal June with highs of 90°F or more for 14 of the 30 days. The official temperature for Roscoe on April 8 was 98°, and some thermometers around town recorded readings of over 100°. The pattern would continue throughout the summer. May had several 100° days with the high coming on May 28 when the mercury rose to 108°.

The highest temperature of the year, 109°F, came on June 17. June had a total of 22 days in which the temperature hit the century mark, July had 24, August 26, and September 2.

All told, Kenny Landfried, Roscoe’s official weatherman, recorded a total of 81 triple-digit days for Roscoe this year, an all-time record. In comparison, Abilene had 82, Austin 84, Dallas-Fort Worth 70, Wichita Falls 100, and San Angelo 96. For all these cities, the numbers they recorded broke all the old records, usually by quite a bit.

While the heat was going through the roof, the winds continued to blow, and the lack of rainfall destroyed any chance of a decent cotton crop. Farmers dry planted because they had to if they wanted to collect crop insurance money, but there was never any hope that anything would come up because it never rained. Fields which in normal years are green with cotton were nothing but dry dirt.

In early October, the big rain that everyone had been waiting for finally came, with almost everyone in the area getting from 3.5 to 5 inches, but by then it was too late for this year’s crop.

The total number of bales ginned at the Roscoe Co-op Gin was just over 10,000 bales, and that includes all the cotton from Snyder and Roby, whose gins never opened for lack of business. It goes without saying that all those bales came from irrigated fields since there was no dryland cotton this year. Compare that 10,000 to the Gin’s production last year of over 70,000 bales from Roscoe area fields alone.

Official rainfall for the year was only 7.69 inches, breaking the previous record of 9.35 inches in 1998, the only other year with less than ten inches since records began being kept in 1936. This month’s rains, totaling 1.39”, at least give us hope that next year will not be so bad, but there’s no denying that 2011 was a rough year as regards the weather.

But that’s the bad news. The good news is that a number of improvements to the city were either completed or set in motion this year.

Work on the new reverse-osmosis water treatment plant, scheduled for completion in the spring of 2013, is proceeding as planned. The city has received the $1,765,000 promised it from the Texas Water Development Board, and progress in the early stages of the project has come off without a hitch.

The city also received a grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs that offers up to $80,000 each to five individuals to tear down an old substandard home in Roscoe and replace it with a new one. Several people have applied for the assistance and five of them will be chosen in January.

The city saw several other improvements this year as well. Howard Park on Fourth and Oak now has some new pavilions that were built in the spring, and the downtown park across from the bank has one as well, along with a new brick wall that helps its looks considerably.

Three new trees were set out downtown, and the Memorial Park across from the museum has just received a new fence. Several streets were paved for the first time this summer, including portions of Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Streets, while others, such as Pecan Street, received a new topping.

This past year has also seen several big changes at the school. The old high school building, after constant use for almost three quarters of a century, was torn down in February and March to make way for a brand new building. Although dear to the hearts of countless exes who spent an important part of their lives in its halls, classrooms, and gymnasium, its time had finally come.

Now a new state-of-the-art building is going up in its place. It will contain classrooms, a new gym, and a concession area that can be used both for indoor and outdoor activities.

Other physical changes to the school include the Astroturfing of the football field, which has been going on for about a month now, along with a planned new surface for the track. Both are projected to be finished in January, well before track season starts.

Changes to the school’s east entrance are also underway. Elm Street will be closed between Seventh and Eighth Streets, and the school’s front area will be changed so that children who walk home won’t have to cross the busy street, while parents who pick up their children will be able to drive right up to the school’s front on a lane that leads into Ash Street. The practice field on Eighth and Ash will also be converted to a parking lot.

Roscoe Collegiate High School continued to lead the way in educational excellence with its programs. Its early college program, which allows high school students to get community college credit for advanced work, resulted in 13 of this year’s 25 graduates receiving their Associate’s Degrees from Western Texas College at the same time they got their high school diplomas from Roscoe High.

The school is now also involved in a program with Western Texas College and Angelo State University that will ease the often difficult transition for high school grads to a university campus. Counselors will come from Angelo State to advise students on college coursework and majors, and students will take trips to the ASU campus to familiarize themselves with the university setting and its offerings and opportunities.

Elections in the spring resulted in several contested seats and some new faces on both the City Council and School Board. Pete Porter was re-elected as Mayor, and Virgil Pruitt beat Don Graham in a runoff for Place 3 on the City Council. In September, Bobby Dyer had to resign his Council seat because of health issues, and Christi Pepper Beal was appointed to take his place until the next election.

In the Roscoe ISD School Board election, Tim Tomlin edged Frankie Santiago for the two-year term, and Jason Freeman, Wes Williams, and David Pantoja were elected to four-year terms.

Three new businesses opened downtown in the late summer. Bruce McGlothlin opened up the Feed Store and More across from the Lumberyard, and David Pantoja and Mark Diaz opened the VP Tire Service and Garage on East Broadway. The Reel Deal Game Room also opened, but not for long. Within a month it had closed its doors and was history.

The Roscoe Wind Farm, still the world’s largest, continued to be an item of interest in the national and international media. Film crews for Channel One, a channel shown in schools all over the country, were at work here in August to interview Cliff Etheredge and get shots of the wind farms, and in November a crew from Los Angeles was here for over a week doing the same thing for a series that will air this spring on the Weather Channel.

An article in the Texas Tribune and the New York Times discussed the effect that money from wind farms has on small town schools and used Blackwell's and Roscoe's schools as examples. And Cowboys and Indians, a magazine that focuses on the western United States, ran an article with story and photos on the Roscoe Wind Farm. There were also groups from France, Canada, and Japan that did the same for programs scheduled in their respective countries.

And the City of Roscoe’s three celebrations—the Spring Fling in April, the Independence Day Celebration in July, and the West Texas Wind Festival in October—were all resounding successes that brought in people from all over the Big Country to enjoy the festivities and to see the live bands that performed “on the bricks” on Cypress Street next to the bank.

Each of the celebrations featured vendors, a children’s area with inflatables of various kinds, Plowboy Mudbogs, and fireworks shows, as well as the street dances and live bands. In addition, the Wind Festival held the annual cookoff sponsored by the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department, and the prize money this year was bigger than ever.

The feature band at the Wind Festival was the Bellamy Brothers, who drew a massive crowd to Roscoe’s downtown to see them and the fireworks show. An estimated crowd of 3500 was concentrated in the little park and in Cypress Street from the Roscoe State Bank all the way back to the Lumberyard.

Several people have asked how the festival planners can top the successes they had this year, and it won’t be easy, but those involved say they’ll find a way.

All things considered, things are looking up for Roscoe, and if we can just get some decent weather, 2012 should be another great year for the community.

--o--

† PATSY LOU WILLIAMS

Graveside services for Patsy Lou Williams, 68, were held at 3 p.m. on Friday at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Sweetwater. She died on Thursday at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene.

She was born March 11, 1943, in Coleman and married Leon C. Williams there on August 7, 1959. A homemaker, she had lived in Sweetwater since 1965 and Roscoe since 2008.

Survivors include her sons, Jerry Williams and wife Mary of Roscoe and Clifton Williams and wife Doris of Cisco; daughter, Sheila Chase of Arkansas; sister, Janice Merrill and husband Johnny of Coleman; and five grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Leon and a daughter, Tracy Lynn Collins.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T09:14:00.012-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Here’s wishing the best of holiday cheer to each and every one of you!

If you’ve already got your presents bought and your tree set up, then you’re way ahead of me. However, I do plan to buy a tree later on today and look forward to decorating it.

I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago, and we were remembering some of the Christmas tree decorations we made as kids—things like stringing popcorn on a thread or making paper chains from colored strips of paper looped into a circle and pasted together into links.

I also remember beading together long strings of dyed chinaberry seeds and wonder if anybody does that any more. If you know what chinaberry seeds look like, you know they’re perfect for beading. They’re smaller than a marble and have five ridges that make a star shape if you look at them from the end. They also have a hole in the middle that makes them perfect for stringing.

The seeds are in the middle, and after we kids gathered up a bunch of chinaberries, my mother would boil them in a pot to separate the seeds from the berries. Then she would dye the seeds with food coloring, using two or three different colors. After they dried, we strung them on long strings, which we then draped around the Christmas tree to create a festive effect.

I tried to find a picture on the Internet of Christmas decorations made from chinaberries, but couldn’t. I did, however, find this picture of necklaces made from dyed chinaberry seeds, so if you’ve never seen them before, this should give you an idea of what they’re like and how strings of them are a colorful addition to a Christmas tree.

I suspect that homemade tree decorations, such as the ones I just mentioned, are not very common any more, having been replaced by premade commercial ones, but I could be wrong about that.

In any case, the idea is to have a pretty tree to put the presents under, and even I should be able to manage that. Once again, Merry Christmas!

--o--

ROSCOE FFA HOLDS ANNUAL STOCK SHOW

A good crowd was on hand Saturday at the School Barn to witness the 2011 Roscoe FFA Stock Show. Both elementary and high school students showed off their animals to the judges and many came away winners with trophies, buckles, and ribbons donated by local benefactors.

The final results are as follows:

Goats

1. Grand Champion – Stina Tomlin

2. Reserve Champion – Chasity Diaz

Showmanship Awards

1. Junior (7th grade and under) – Lane Harrell

2. Senior (8th – 12th grades) – Stina Tomlin

Swine

1. Grand Champion – Alura Renteria

2. Reserve Champion – Kamren Fisher

Showmanship Awards

1. Pee Wee – Dakota Freeman

2. Junior – Kamren Fisher

3. Senior – Stina Tomlin

Swine Breed Winners

Duroc Champion – Lola Joiner

Hampshire Champion – Kendall Moses

White OPB Champion – Kamren Fisher

Black OPB Champion – Keeston Ford

Cross Champion – Alura Renteria

--o--

AIDEN RICHBURG SHOWS GRAND CHAMPION PIG AT WEST TEXAS REHAB IN ABILENE

Aiden Richburg exhibited the Grand Champion pig at the 20th annual West Texas Rehabilitation Center Jackpot Pig, Goat and Lamb Show on Saturday at the Abilene Wylie FFA barn. Pigs, goats and lambs were donated by breeders across the country and purchased in a sale in October that raised over $17,000 for the Rehab.

Aiden received a beautiful belt buckle as a prize and will also be getting a custom embroidered jacket. For more information about the Rehab, click here.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS FALL TO CROSS PLAINS 54-26

The Lady Buffaloes of Cross Plains were too much for the Plowgirls last Friday night, beating them by a score of 54-26. The halftime score was 34-17.

High scorers for the Plowgirls were Lynnsi Moses with 7 points and Sara Kingston with 5. Faith Boren and Mirian Solis both had 4.

The Plowgirls’ next action will be in the Sterling City Tournament on Tuesday, December 27.

--o--

† J. L. CAMPBELL

Funeral services for J. L. Campbell, 81, were held yesterday at the Champion Baptist Church, followed by interment in the Champion Cemetery. He passed away on Sunday, December 18, at the Nolan Nursing and Rehab Center in Sweetwater.

J. L. Campbell was born in Roscoe on October 21, 1930, and lived in the area all his life. He went to Highland School and married Roberta C. Bankhead on June 11, 1949, in Roscoe. A member of the Champion Baptist Church, he worked as a cotton ginner and a farmer, also for USG and for Nolan County Precinct 1 for twenty years.

Survivors include his wife, Roberta, of Champion; son Bob and wife of Snyder; daughter Patsy Sanford of Roscoe; three grandchildren, Shae Sanford and wife of Abilene, Kyle Sanford and wife of Bronte, and Courtney Campbell of Abilene; and three great-grandchildren.

--o--

† MARTA MORENO ESPINOZA

Funeral services were held yesterday for Marta Moreno Espinoza, 85, at the McCoy Chapel of Memories and followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery. She died at home on Sunday.

Marta Moreno was born January 19, 1926, in Normanna and married Domingo Espinoza in 1965 in Loraine. She attended Roscoe Worship Center and had lived in Loraine and Roscoe since 1955. Survivors include a sister, Elida Calderon, of Loraine; four nephews, three nieces, and fifteen great-nieces and nephews.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Early last Thursday morning there was a light rain, which didn’t amount to much but was enough to get everything wet. Thursday and Friday were cool and cloudy, but on Saturday the sun came out and the weather was perfect for both the stock show and the Christmas parade.

On Sunday, it was cool and cloudy again with more light rain, maybe a tenth of an inch, and then on Monday morning, it rained some more, about a quarter to three-tenths of an inch. The sun came out in the afternoon and with it came strong winds. Since then it has been sunny and breezy.

The forecast is for continued cool weather with a chance of snow tomorrow night and Friday. The sun should be back out for Christmas Eve and Christmas with highs in the forties and lows in the twenties.

Kevin Allen Killed in Abilene Traffic Accident

2011-12-14T10:12:00.004-06:00

Kevin Dale Allen, 38, of Godley, formerly of the Roscoe area and a graduate of Highland High, died at the scene of a one-vehicle crash in Abilene at 2:00am on Sunday morning.

The driver, Kelsey Lynn Clark, 21, of Throckmorton, was traveling north on the Winters Freeway when her 2004 Ford F-250 pickup hit a median concrete barrier, veered across the road, crashed over a guard rail on the overpass above North 10th Street, and landed on the street below.

Two other riders, John Logan Scarlett, 24, and Dillon Davis Rankin, 24, both of Throckmorton, received life-threatening injuries and remain in intensive care at Hendrick Medical Center. Three other riders, also from Throckmorton, were treated for minor injuries and released.

Earlier in the day, the Throckmorton football team had won the state six-man championship game in Abilene, and the group was out celebrating the victory. Allen reportedly had just gotten a ride with them to go back to his motel room.

Funeral services for Kevin Dale Allen will be held today at 2:00pm at the Roscoe Church of Christ, followed by interment in the Champion Cemetery.

Born on August 11, 1973, in Sweetwater, he grew up near Champion and was a graduate of Highland High School. He also attended Angelo State University and the University of Texas at Arlington. He married Amanda Jayne Ringenberg on March 27, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had lived for two years in Godley, just south of Fort Worth, where he was the owner of the Christ First Transportation Company.

He is survived by his wife, Amanda, of Godley; parents, Johnny and Marna Allen of Roscoe; brother Brent Allen and wife Michelle of Roscoe; sister Angela Allen of Sweetwater; one nephew, Jason of Sweetwater, and four nieces, Sierra, Hannah, Karlie, and Taylor, of Roscoe. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Gracen May Allen, in December 2008.

--o--

CITY COUNCIL HOSTS PUBLIC HEARING FOR WATER TREATMENT PLANT

The City of Roscoe’s engineering firm, Enprotec / Hibbs & Todd of Abilene, held a required public hearing at the monthly City Council meeting last night at City Hall. Engineer Mark McHan gave a report on the projected plan for constructing the new reverse-osmosis water treatment plant at Broadway and Cedar Street and fielded questions and concerns of the Council Members and other citizens present.

McHan explained that once the plant is finished, the purified water will be mixed with regular well water both for consumption as well as for the sake of the water lines. Completely pure water would eat away the minerals already lining the insides of the water lines and cause leaks.

At the same time, some minerals are needed for human consumption, just not nearly as many as are in the water now, especially the nitrites. The engineers also said the treated water will be much more appliance friendly than the current water is.

Construction for the plant is now projected to run from July 2012 to completion in April 2013. There should be no tax increase and no or only minimal increase in city water rates.

The City Council also briefly discussed a proposed ordinance to regulate conditions of mobile homes and travel trailers moving into the city. This would include anchoring and skirting requirements as well as other conditions. No actions were taken, but the topic will be on the agenda for January’s Council Meeting.

--o--

HIGH SCHOOL STOCK SHOW AND CHRISTMAS PARADE THIS SATURDAY

Both Roscoe Collegiate High School’s FFA Stock Show and the City of Roscoe's Christmas Parade will be this Saturday, December 17.

The Stock Show will be at the School Barn on the School Farm, beginning at 10:00am. It will feature competition in cattle, pigs, goats, and lambs. Lunch will be followed by a dessert auction in which cakes and pies go to the highest bidder, with proceeds benefiting the Roscoe FFA. The RCHS agriculture teacher, J. J. Caswell, is in charge of the event.

The Christmas Parade will be in downtown Roscoe at 1:00pm. Line-up for participants will be at 400 E. Broadway at 12:30pm.

Santa Claus will be available for children in the Roscoe Community Center immediately following the parade. Parade marshal is Roscoe Chief of Police, Felix Pantoja. For more information, call 325-514-8384.

--o--

ROSCOE INCLUDED IN 2012 TEXAS MIDWEST GUIDE

Roscoe is one of 42 communities featured in the latest edition of the Texas Midwest Guide, with a page of its own in a booklet designed for visitors to the area.

The guide showcases the life and points of interest in the various cities of the region. It includes community information and an events calendar as well as lists of museums, motels, RV parks, and recreation facilities. The Roscoe Historical Museum is included, and the Lumberyard is Roscoe’s lone advertiser.

An online version of the guide is available by clicking here.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS WIN DOUBLE OVERTIME THRILLER IN ALBANY, 33-32

The Roscoe Plowgirls pulled off another last-minute victory last night in Albany, defeating the Lady Lions 33-32 in double overtime. The Plowgirls led 12-8 at halftime, but Albany came back in the second half to tie the score 27-27 at the end of regulation.

In the first overtime, each team got only a single basket, but in the second, the Plowgirls got three points while Albany got only two. High scorers for the Plowgirls were Lynnsi Moses with 12 and Sara Kingston with 11.

This past weekend the Highland Lady Hornets won their own Highland Hilltop Classic Tournament by first defeating the Plowgirls 45-13 on Friday and then Garden City 36-25 on Saturday. In the championship game, Highland was led by Kara Hughey with 11 points and Sierra Allen with 10.

The Plowgirls lost to Loraine 58-55 in the consolation game. Lynnsi Moses had 21 points for Roscoe and Faith Boren 12.

The Plowgirls have an away game with the Lady Buffaloes in Cross Plains on Friday. It will be their last action before the holiday break.

--o--

PLOWBOYS LOSE TO ALBANY AND HIGHLAND

In last night’s boys’ game, the Albany Lions beat the Plowboys 56-12. Jesus Leanos was Roscoe’s leading scorer with 6 while Keeston Ford had 4. The halftime score was 36-6.

The Plowboys also lost to Highland 37-31 in the tournament at Highland last weekend. Ethan Wilson had 15 points and Ron Covington 11 for the Hornets, while Keeston Ford led the Plowboys with 19 points and Jesus Leanos had 8.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

My brother Joe, who lives on the Norwegian coast, would have felt right at home if he’d been in Roscoe this past week, because the weather was cold, cloudy, gloomy, and grey with a mixture of fog, mist, and drizzle for practically the entire time. Lows up until Tuesday were generally in the mid-thirties with highs in the forties and low fifties.

There was even some rain early Saturday morning, two to three-tenths of an inch, depending on location. On Monday and Tuesday, temperatures rose considerably with lows only in the fifties and highs of around sixty. The forecast calls for a chance of rain today before the skies clear up somewhat for the weekend.

Roscoe Receives First Snowfall of the Year

2011-12-07T10:25:00.003-06:00

View of my back yard on Monday morning.

On some weeks, the weather is merely an afterthought, while on others it is a main event. This past weekend has been one of the latter for Roscoe. After a stretch of warm, sunny weather, a cold front blew in, and the area first received a nice rain, followed a couple of days later with another front and its first significant snow of the year.

The weather went from sunny last Wednesday to cloudy and cool on Thursday and Friday with highs in the fifties and lows in the thirties. Then on early Saturday morning, the area got the rain predicted by the forecasters. Amounts ranged from four-tenths of an inch up to an inch, depending on location. Roscoe got about half an inch, south of town three quarters, and west of town also three quarters.

Saturday afternoon was sunny and beautiful with highs in the sixties, but Sunday was cold and cloudy, and about a three-inch snow fell late Sunday night and Monday morning. The high on Monday was 32°F followed by a low of 21°, and yesterday’s high was only 28° with a low of 21° and enough wind to put the wind chill down to 10° at times.

The forecast is for clear, sunny weather with temperatures rising somewhat into days with highs in the forties or fifties.

--o--

DOWN MEMORY LANE: SLEDDING WITH THE BOYS CLUB

The snow brought to mind similar storms experienced here in the past. Sometimes when we were kids, there would be a big snow, and school would be called off because the buses couldn’t make it to all the kids on their routes.

Such announcements were a cause for great celebration, and as soon as my brothers and I could bundle ourselves up with jackets, toboggans, and gloves or mittens, we’d head straight to the Roscoe Times Office, where several other boys would also gather for a morning of sled and inner-tube riding.

In the back of the Times Office there was a big, wooden sled, constructed by some of the local carpenters and made just for such occasions. It had two 2” x 4” runners beneath a piece of plywood about two feet wide and four feet long. In front, there was a guard of some sort and a place to tie a rope. The other end of the rope was tied to the back of George Parks’s “moose wagon” with about 25’ or so of play between the bumper and the sled when the rope was extended.

There was also a big inner tube from a tractor tire that was stored in the Times Office. A rope would also be tied around it and attached to the back of the moose wagon. If I remember correctly, the inner tube would be at a greater distance behind the vehicle than the sled.

Once everything was ready, two or three boys would get on the sled, one behind the other, and one on the inner tube. Other boys would go ahead and get in the moose wagon to watch the action out the back window while waiting their turns to get on the sled or inner tube.

George would then head out with sled and tube in tow, going about ten to fifteen miles per hour. The fun began when he started making turns since the centrifugal force caused the sled and inner tube to swing out in an arc at an increased rate of speed. The trick was not to have a spill but to remain upright and intact for the next turn. The ride was especially challenging for whoever was on the inner tube since its rope was longer, making the speeds in turns reach two or even three times the speed George was driving.

The increased speed often resulted in the riders losing their grip and tumbling from the sled or inner tube and flying across a ditch and into someone’s front yard at a high rate of speed. The most spectacular spills were the ones everyone watching enjoyed the most.

How in the world George Parks managed to conduct this activity as often as he did without somebody getting seriously injured is one of those mysteries of life, but, as far as I know, there were never any broken arms, legs, or cracked skulls—nothing worse than skins and bruises.

After an hour or so, when every boy had had a turn or two on the sled or tube, George drove back to the Times Office, and everyone warmed up with some hot chocolate while talking excitedly about their rides and spills.

It was a sign of the times back then that George was never arrested or charged with reckless endangerment of children or anything like that. Looking back on it, what amazes me even more from today’s perspective is that the mothers of the town were never up in arms about it, never marched en masse down to the Times Office in protest, and, as far as I know, never even forbade their boys from doing it again.

Like snowmen, snow ice cream, and snowball fights, it was just part of the celebration of winter and the general happiness brought on by a good snow and a holiday from school.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS WIN BLACKWELL TOURNAMENT, BEAT BAIRD AT THE BUZZER

The Roscoe Plowgirls are on a roll. After beating Hawley 39-29 here in Roscoe last week, they won three games in a row to win the Blackwell Tournament last weekend and then followed that with a thrilling overtime victory at Plowboy Gymnasium last night, beating Baird 48-47.

The Plowgirls first game in the Blackwell Tournament was a defeat of the Hermleigh Lady Cardinals 46-27. Lynnsi Moses was the Plowgirls’ top scorer with 11, while Sara Kingston had 8. They then followed that with a win over the Westbrook Lady Wildcats 29-25. Sara Kingston led the Plowgirls with 12, while Moses had 6.

The championship game was also against Westbrook, and the Plowgirls had to come from behind at the last minute to win it 34-33. In this one Moses had 14 and Kingston 11.

Last night’s game against Baird was an overtime thriller. The lead went back and forth the entire game with the Plowgirls and the Lady Bears tied at the end of regulation 45-45. In overtime, the Plowgirls jumped out to a quick 48-45 lead and then went into something of a stall, passing the ball around to one another until only about a minute was left, when they got an easy layup shot but missed.

Baird went down and quickly scored, making it a one-point game. After another Plowgirl missed shot, they got the ball back and called time out with nine seconds left. When play resumed, they tried to run a play but had to settle for a long shot, which they missed, and the game was over.

High scorers for the Plowgirls were Kingston and Moses with 14 apiece, while Mirian Solis had 8 and Faith Boren 6. The Plowgirls’ next action is at the Highland Tournament, which starts on Thursday and runs through the weekend.

--o--

PLOWBOYS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE, LOSE AT BLACKWELL AND TO BAIRD

The Roscoe Plowboys started strong last night and at the end of the first quarter were tied with the Baird Bears 11-11. But their lack of size and experience cost them in the second quarter and for the rest of the game as they wound up on the wrong end of a 66-37 score.

The score was made even worse by the fact that the Plowboys played over half of the last quarter with only four players, while Baird had the usual five. The Plowboys had only six players suited up for the game, and two of them fouled out, leaving only the other four to finish the game. High scorer for the Plowboys was Jesus Leanos with 16, followed by Keeston Ford with 10.

The Plowboys didn’t have any better luck at the Blackwell Tournament last weekend, losing to Hermleigh 54-27 and to Westbrook 46-37. In the Hermleigh game, Leanos had 14 points and Dillon Freeman 7, and in the Westbrook game Leanos had 19 and Freeman 6.

The Plowboys’ next action is at the Highland Tournament this weekend.

--o--

HIGH SCHOOL STOCK SHOW AND CHRISTMAS PARADE BOTH TO BE ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17

Both the Roscoe Collegiate High School’s FFA Stock Show and the City of Roscoe's Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, December 17.

The Stock Show, which will be held at the School Barn on the School Farm, will begin at 10:00am and will feature competition in cattle, pigs, goats, and lambs. There will be a lunch there followed by a dessert auction in which cakes and pies will go to the highest bidder, with proceeds benefitting the Roscoe FFA. The RCHS agriculture teacher, J. J. Caswell, will be in charge of the event.

The Christmas Parade will be held in downtown Roscoe at 1:00pm. Line-up for participants will be at 400 E. Broadway at 12:30pm.

Santa Claus will be available for children in the Roscoe Community Center immediately following the parade. Parade marshal is Roscoe Chief of Police, Felix Pantoja. For more information, call 325-514-8384.

--o--

† DOMITILA TOVAR

Funeral services for Domitila Tovar, 92, are pending with McCoy Funeral Home. She died Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater.

County Leaders Appeal for Funding of New Jail and Courthouse Repairs

2011-11-30T10:27:00.011-06:00

Missing granite panels characterize the south side of the Nolan County Courthouse.

At a public meeting in the Community Center on Monday evening, Roscoans heard Nolan County Sheriff David Warren make a case for a new County Jail, while County Commissioner Terry Willman spoke to the need for Courthouse repairs in the wake of a 2000-pound granite slab falling to the sidewalk at the Courthouse’s north entrance.

Sheriff Warren presented a slideshow of photographs demonstrating the inadequacies of the current jail in the County Courthouse. It has 54 beds, but four cells in the middle cannot be used because male and female inmates are allowed no visual or verbal contact.

Moreover, when the Courthouse was first used in 1977, it housed an average of 20 inmates, whereas the current average is about 57, and the number is escalating every year. There is also a security issue as jailers must often walk within reach of the prisoners through the cell bars.

The overflow of prisoners is sent to the Garza County Jail in Post and the Taylor County Jail in Abilene. In the past ten years, the cost to the county for doing so has come to about a million dollars when transportation costs, including the hiring of extra personnel, is figured in.

The jail’s laundry, which consists of a single washer and dryer, is running 24 hours a day, and the kitchen is similarly not big enough to handle the large number of inmates.

Sheriff Warren wants a new 96-bed facility good for 30 years, built at a still undetermined location somewhere on the outskirts of Sweetwater. Besides the jail space, the facility would also include several new offices since at the present time eight deputies share a single office.

The price tag will be in the $11 million range, to be paid for by an increase in county property taxes. The projected increase is about four cents per $100 valuation with an average family seeing around a $25 annual increase to their tax bill. The sheriff reminded the audience that the county tax rate over the last ten years has decreased from 51¢ to 40¢ per $100 because of wind farm revenues, so an increase to 44¢ is not an undue burden.

County Commissioner Terry Willman spoke to the need for Courthouse repairs. After a granite slab on the Courthouse wall came crashing down to the sidewalk, an inspection of the remaining ones was done, and it was discovered that another one was loose and in need of immediate repair—and all the others lining the Courthouse walls were similarly unstable because back when the Courthouse was built in 1977, no measures were taken to waterproof the bases of the slabs, and over the years deterioration has occurred to the point that all are in danger of falling sooner or later unless something is done.

Repair costs will likely include the removal of all the slabs with repair and weatherproofing of their bases before replacing them to their original positions. The total cost is projected to be in the $1.3 million range. Willman said that the Commissioners have yet to decide whether to go with that plan or to replace the granite with something else. But one thing is certain—repairs must be done.

The audience seemed to respond favorably to the presentations. Although the Commissioners have the power to authorize both proposals, a bond election with each as a separate issue in November 2012 is also possible.

There will be similar public meetings on these two issues at Maryneal, Blackwell, Nolan, and Sweetwater. See last week’s Roscoe Hard Times for times and places.

--o--

ROSCOE COLLEGIATE HIGH MAKES A DEAL WITH ANGELO STATE TO FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF GRADS WITH ASSOCIATE’S DEGREES

RISD Superintendent Kim Alexander has signed an agreement with Angelo State University in San Angelo that will make life easier for Roscoe seniors who graduate from high school and community college at the same time.

Through a program with Western Texas College started a couple of years ago, many students have earned credits toward their Associate’s Degree with advanced classes taken at Roscoe High—and this past spring, 13 of the 25 graduating seniors who took part in the program got both their high school diploma and their Associate’s Degree at the same time.

Now Roscoe Collegiate will partner with Angelo State and Western Texas in a program designed to create a seamless transfer of community college coursework taken at Roscoe into whatever major the student chooses at ASU. Almost anyone who has tried to transfer from a community college to a university has run into the problem of community college coursework that won’t count toward graduation at the university.

Now students who choose to go to Angelo State won’t have that problem. Measures will be taken so that the students know ahead of time just exactly which courses they need, so that time and effort are not wasted. Counselors from Angelo State will periodically come to Roscoe to advise students and make sure they are on the right track, and Roscoe students on the Associate’s track will take trips to the Angelo State campus to learn of opportunities and procedures there.

The process will also help students who choose to go to a different university since through counseling they will become familiar with university requirements and procedures.

Angelo State stands to gain students who go ahead and choose to do their university work there, and Roscoe grads will benefit by already being familiar with the university system once they enter Angelo State with their Associate’s Degree in hand.

Angelo State also has other advantages for many Roscoe grads. Tuition is cheaper than at other area universities and the campus is only seventy miles down the road.

--o--

CITY RECEIVES $1,765,000 FROM STATE FOR WATER IMPROVEMENTS

The City of Roscoe has just received and deposited in its City construction account the $1,765,000 it was promised from the State of Texas Water Development Board for the construction of a reverse-osmosis water treatment plant and for water distribution line improvements.

The new water treatment plant will be located on the north side of Broadway and Cedar Streets, where the ground storage tank is located.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS STOP LADY ‘CATS 39-29

The Roscoe Plowgirls took care of business at the Plowboy Gymnasium last night, jumping out to a ten-point lead in the first half that they held for the rest of the game, defeating the Hawley Lady ‘Cats by a final score of 39-29. Lynnsi Moses led the Plowgirls with 9 points. Sara Kingston and Faith Boren scored 8 each, and Mirian Solis had seven.

With the victory, the Plowgirls are now 2-2 on the year. After beating Blackwell 57-21 on November 15, they fell to Cross Plains 52-22 on November 18 and Colorado City 39-28 last Tuesday. Their next action will be in the Blackwell Tournament, which will start on Thursday and run through Saturday.

--o--

BEARCATS DISPATCH PLOWBOYS 73-17

No, that is not a misprint in the headline. The Hawley Bearcats overpowered the Plowboys in a way seldom, if ever, experienced by a Plowboy basketball team. The Bearcats jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead and never looked back in dispatching the home team. The halftime score was 47-4.

Keeston Ford had 7 points for the Plowboys, and Jesus Leanos and John Hermosillo had 4 apiece.

The only other game the Plowboys have played this year was last Tuesday against Colorado City, which they lost 60-26. Some allowance should be made for the fact that both Hawley and Colorado City are 2A schools. Even so, unless the Plowboys can turn things around, this is shaping up to being a long basketball season for them.

They have a chance to redeem themselves starting on Thursday, when they take part in the Blackwell Tournament.

--o--

† WANDA FAYE MARTIN DUNN

Wanda Faye Dunn, 77, passed away last Tuesday, November 22, at Rolling Plains Hospital. On Friday morning, there was a public visitation at McCoy Funeral home in Sweetwater followed by a private burial at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene. Pallbearers were her grandchildren.

Wanda Faye Martin was born on April 16, 1934, in Loraine. A graduate of Roscoe High School, she married James (Buster) Dunn in 1953 and remained married to him for 58 years. A homemaker for much of her life, in later years she also worked at Mott’s in Sweetwater.

She is survived by her husband, James (Buster) Dunn; daughters Kay Hunter, Terri Griffin, and son Hank; brother Winford and sister-in-law Barbara Martin; six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Robert Martin, Jr.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T10:17:00.001-06:00

The time of year is once again upon us when Americans of all races, religions, and political persuasions gather to give thanks for all the blessings bestowed upon them for the previous year. And despite the drought and other troubles we’ve had this year, there is still plenty to be thankful for. We only have to stop and consider all the good things in our lives to realize what they are.

Thanksgiving is also a holiday for getting together with loved ones to feast upon dishes we generally ignore for the rest of the year—roasted turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, pecan, or mincemeat pie. Does anyone actually ever eat any of these dishes on a regular basis? Yet on this one day they are somehow perfect for the occasion.

If we’re not careful, we may leave the table stuffed and groaning to collapse on the couch or recliner to watch the Dallas Cowboys do their annual Thanksgiving thing—that is, if we’re in Texas. One interesting feature of American life I learned while living on the east coast is that the time of day Thanksgiving Dinner is served depends on the part of the country you live in.

Growing up in Roscoe, I always correctly understood dinner to mean the noontime meal and supper the evening meal, whereas in Baltimore, where I lived for seventeen years, lunch is the noontime meal and “dinner” is the evening meal. So, eating Thanksgiving Dinner implies one time here and another time there.

In my experience, some fudging occurs on time in both places but in opposite directions. In Texas, Thanksgiving Dinner is often not during the noon hour but a little bit later, one to one-thirty or so, possibly because of the extra time it takes to prepare. In Baltimore, on the other hand, it is generally a little earlier than the usual “dinner,” possibly so that guests can leave not too long after it gets dark.

That’s my experience anyway. Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, this year the Cowboys are playing the Miami Dolphins, who after a slow start have blown out their last three opponents—and with the Cowboys good one week and bad the next, anything can happen. It should be interesting to watch.

And if you’re a college football fan, you won’t want to miss the Texas A&M vs. Texas game, which starts at seven. The Aggies and Longhorns have been playing one another on Thanksgiving Day for 118 years now, but the Aggies are leaving the Big 12 Conference, so this is the last scheduled game for this storied rivalry, at least for the foreseeable future. It should also be a good one.

But no matter how you spend the holiday, here’s wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

--o--

TRASH PICKUP ON FRIDAY THIS WEEK

City Manager Cody Thompson wants to remind everyone that trash trucks will not be operating on Thanksgiving Day but will instead pick up trash on Friday. Please inform those who might not be aware of this change in the normal schedule.

--o--

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON COURTHOUSE REPAIRS AND NEW JAIL

The Nolan County Commissioners’ Court will hold public hearings on a proposed bond to finance needed courthouse repairs as well as a new jail facility.

As most people already know, a 2000-pound granite slab on the outer wall of the courthouse recently fell to the ground. Luckily, no one was harmed, but a subsequent inspection of the other slabs reveals a problem in the way they were secured—or more correctly, not secured—back when the courthouse was built, and now all of them need to be re-secured before they are safe again. There has also been talk for some time of the need for a new jail.

If you want to learn the details or express your views on either or both proposals, make sure to attend one of the public hearings, which will take place at the following dates and locations:

    Precinct 1 – Roscoe Community Center – Monday, November 28, 7:00pm
    Precinct 2 – Nolan County Coliseum Annex – Thursday, December 8, 7:00pm
    Precinct 3 – Nolan Community Center – Monday, December 5, 7:00pm
    Precinct 3 – Blackwell City Hall – Tuesday, December 6, 7:00pm
    Precinct 4 – Maryneal Community Center – Thursday, December 1, 7:00pm

--o--

WHEEL COMES OFF FOR PLOWBOTS AT REGIONAL MEET

The Plowbots, Roscoe Collegiate High School’s robotics team, ran into some hard luck when the wheel came off their robot, Mantis, during competition at the Texas-New Mexico Regional BEST Robotics Meet in Garland last weekend.

They came home with no trophies this time, but the fact remains that they were the best in this area by winning the Big Country Hub Meet the week before. They deserve hearty congratulations for all their outstanding achievements this year and best wishes for better luck next year!

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

The first freeze of the year came last Thursday morning. The temperature dropped to 30° at Avenger Field and to 29° at Lyndall Underwood’s on the western edge of town and stayed below freezing for two or three hours. Either way, it was cold enough to kill my peppers, okra, and most of my tomatoes—although the three plants on the east end of my garden are still alive and producing.

The weekend was warmer but overcast, followed by a cooler Monday and Tuesday with thick fog, drizzle, and temperatures in the forties and low fifties. There was enough precipitation to get the sidewalks wet, but that was it—maybe a tenth of an inch.

Today is clear and sunny, and it should be a beautiful day for Thanksgiving and Friday with highs of around seventy. There is a chance of showers Friday night as a front blows in, followed by a cool, breezy weekend with highs in only the fifties.

--o--

FIVE FROM THE PLOWBOY BAND MAKE ALL DISTRICT

The following members of the Plowboy Band have made All District: Jamie Benitez, Juan Solis Garcia, Jovanah Guzman, Shirley Sanchez, and Brandon Stevenson. They will take part in a performance on January 20th in Sweetwater.

--o--

† LEANDRA SAAVEDRA

Leandra Saavedra, 68, died Saturday, November 19, at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. Holy Mass of Christian Burial is being held at 11 a.m. today at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, and interment at Roscoe Cemetery will immediately follow.

Roscoe Wind Farm Featured in Weather Channel Series on Wind Energy

2011-11-16T10:56:00.003-06:00

At the Lumberyard, a cameraman gets footage of Cliff Etheredge talking to TSTC students about wind energy.

A film crew from Los Angeles has been in town for the past couple of weeks conducting interviews and making video footage for an upcoming four-part series scheduled to air on the Weather Channel sometime next March. The series, entitled “Turbine Cowboys,” a word-play on "urban cowboys," features the men and women of the wind industry and will have as one of its focal points the Roscoe wind farms.

During their stay here, the film crew, headed by David De Angelis, did research, conducted interviews with workers and others whose lives are affected by the wind industry, and filmed area wind farms, at one point even going to the top of the Plowboy grain elevator to get some shots from there.

On Wednesday evening, they were outside at the Lumberyard, filming the conversations of a small gathering of wind energy workers and a group from TSTC, along with Cliff Etheredge and yours truly.

That concluded their work in Nolan County, and the next day they left for Idaho, where they’ll be for a couple of weeks doing more of the same before going to Tehachapi, California, to cover the wind industry there. They also plan to visit and include an offshore wind farm in the UK.

They will remain in touch with Cliff Etheredge and let him know when the series will air as soon as they find out themselves. Each of the four episodes will be a half-hour long.

--o--

PLOWBOTS TO COMPETE IN TEXAS-NEW MEXICO REGIONAL ROBOTICS MEET

Plowbots proudly display trophies won at the Big Country Hub Robotics Meet.

After winning the Big Country Hub meet, the Plowbots, Roscoe Collegiate’s robotics team, will compete Friday and Saturday in Garland at the Regional BEST Robotics Meet. BEST is an acronym for Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology, and this region includes all the hubs in Texas and New Mexico, of which the Big Country Hub is only one.

This year’s contest theme is “Bugs,” and each team must build a robot that collects different types of “bugs” and puts them in a collection area. The Plowbots’ robot is named Mantis, after the bug-eating insect.

The Plowbots are led by Coach Dan Boren. Club President is Hannah Weems.

--o--

ROSCOE COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL FEATURED IN NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE

Two Nolan County schools, Roscoe Collegiate and Blackwell, were featured in a New York Times article published on November 10 about the effect of wind money on small schools in west Texas. The article, written by Morgan Smith, originally appeared in the Texas Tribune, a non-profit publication which the New York Times occasionally reproduces articles from for its online edition.

The article focuses on the benefits that Roscoe School is implementing with its collegiate program. Through the program, 13 of the 25 high school graduates this past spring graduated with Associate Degrees from Western Texas College in Snyder because they were able to take community college courses while going to Roscoe High. The article also discusses some of the goals that Roscoe is setting for its students in both grade school and high school.

The original version of the Texas Tribune article includes this three-minute video:

To go to the New York Times article, click here. To go to the original Texas Tribune article, click here.

--o--

JACINDA MORALES FINISHES 18TH IN STATE CROSS-COUNTRY MEET

Jacinda Morales finished 18th in a field of 103 runners with a time of 13:09 in the Class A Cross-Country State Finals in Round Rock on Saturday. The winner, Macey Siegert of Seymour, had a time of 12:19.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS DEFEAT BLACKWELL IN BASKETBALL

The Plowgirls defeated the Lady Hornets in Blackwell last night. I don't yet have other details but will post them as soon as I get them. The Plowgirls lost their first game of the season last Tuesday to the Winters Blizzards 52-37.

The Plowboys don’t officially begin their basketball season until next Tuesday, when they and the Plowgirls play games against the Wolves in Colorado City.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Despite the lack of precipitation, Roscoe experienced another week of beautiful fall weather with highs generally in the seventies and lows in the fifties—although it was a bit cooler than that last Wednesday and Thursday, and a couple of days were pretty breezy. Still, the weekend was beautiful, and on Sunday and Monday the skies were cloudy with temperatures climbing up to 80°F.

There has still not been a freeze, and my garden is going strong with tomatoes, peppers, and okra all still producing (See photos.). Bruce McGlothlin’s confident prediction of a freeze on precisely November 12 was therefore obviously in error.

To be fair to Bruce, though, this year has been an unusual one when it comes to the usually reliable methods of predicting the weather. You may recall that back in March the buzzards returned and the old mesquite trees budded out—and, despite that, we still had a late freeze. That’s not supposed to happen, and in normal years it wouldn’t. But this year’s weather has obviously been anything but normal.

The forecast for the coming week is almost a carbon copy of the weather we had this past week, cooler tonight and tomorrow, then warming up to a nice weekend, followed by a couple of days of cloudy weather on Sunday and Monday.

City Council Approves Closure of Elm Street in Front of School

2011-11-09T10:54:00.008-06:00

This artist's depiction of the renovated east entrance to the school does not show the new road that will loop around to 8th Street but is included here to give an idea of how the new entrance will look when finished. (Labels for 8th Street and the proposed new road are mine.)

At last night’s City Council meeting, RISD Superintendent Kim Alexander received unanimous approval to move forward with a plan to permanently close Elm Street between 7th and 8th Streets.

Due to the recent construction at the school, the entrance to the High School now faces Elm Street just like the entrance to the Elementary School, and when school turns out in the afternoons, students of all ages must cross the street to catch a bus or walk home while parents in cars pick up their children and drive away.

Students will all be safer with the proposed restructuring of the area in front of the school, planned to take place over the next few months.

A new semi-circular drive will allow parents access to the front of the school to drop off and pick up their kids. It will run from Ash Street behind the current administration office up to the school entrance and then loop around back to Ash via 8th Street.

The new arrangement will allow kids on foot to leave the school area without having to cross the street.

--o--

WORK BEGINS TO COVER PLOWBOY FIELD WITH ASTROTURF

Plowboy Field will look like this once it is surfaced with Astroturf.

Plowboy Field is no longer covered with grass. On Monday, heavy equipment could be seen on the football field grading up and removing it to make way for Astroturf, which will be the surface used by the Plowboys from now on. The change, a decision of the School Board, will be complete before next fall.

As part of the renovation of the school’s east entrance, the current practice field on 8th and Ash will also be done away with and converted to a parking lot. Since Astroturf isn’t damaged by practice like grass is, future football practice sessions will take place on Plowboy Field.

The Astroturf surface is supposed to last for ten years, the same amount of time the school will take to complete payments for its purchase. One of its big advantages is the minimal amount of maintenance required. A sweeping device is brought in once a year to clean the surface, and that’s it.

The track that circles the football field will also be resurfaced. Originally built in 1987, it last received a new surface in 2001, which was projected to last for seven years. However, it has now been used for ten, so another new surface is overdue.

The changes to Plowboy Field along with the renovations to the school’s east entrance constitute the final phase of the school’s renovation, which was divided into four phases:

Renovation of the elementary school.
Conversion of the old band hall and early childhood center into the E.On Center and the new math and science wing.
Demolition of the old high school building and construction of the new building containing the gymnasium, three classrooms, and a concession area that will face inward during basketball season and other indoor events and outward during football and track events.
Astroturfing of Plowboy Field and re-surfacing of track. Construction of east entrance area with parking lots.

The first two phases are complete. The final two are both projected to be finished sometime next summer, so when school starts in the fall, everything will ready to go.

--o--

JACINDA MORALES QUALIFIES FOR STATE CROSS-COUNTRY MEET

Jacinda Morales came in sixth with a time of 12:37 at the regional cross-country meet in Arlington on Saturday, good enough to qualify her for the state cross-country meet in Round Rock this Saturday.

The Plowgirls' cross-country team came in eighth and did not qualify.

--o--

PLOWBOYS FALL TO ROTAN 12-2 IN SEASON FINALE

The Plowboys concluded the 2011 football season with a 12-2 loss to the Yellowhammers in Rotan last Friday night, bringing to an end a difficult season for fans and players alike. Their final record was 0-10 overall and 0-5 in district.

They were actually ahead for the first time all season when Eric Padilla tackled a Rotan player in the end zone with 3:47 to go in the first quarter. The Plowboys then held the 2-0 lead until Deandre Lee’s 9-yard run with 3:25 to go in the second quarter put the Yellowhammers ahead 6-2.

Then, right before the half, Lee scooped up a Plowboy fumble and returned it 45 yards for another touchdown with only three seconds left to go in the half. There was no scoring in the second half.

Eric Padilla led the Plowboys on offense with 12 carries for 43 yards.

--o--

CHRISTMAS PARADE SET FOR DECEMBER 17

The City Council approved a Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 17, down Broadway. The Community Center will also be open for hot chocolate and visits with Santa Claus. Parade marshal is Roscoe Chief of Police Felix Pantoja. The parade, as always, will be dedicated to those serving in the military.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

A cold front blew in last Wednesday sending temperatures down into the low thirties. A predicted first freeze on Thursday night never materialized, and the weekend weather was just about as perfect as a person could ask for with sunny skies, highs in the seventies, and only light breezes.

On Monday the temperature got up into the low eighties, but that night another front blew in, bringing a shower with it. It rained off and on for about a half hour with a downfall of a quarter to four-tenths of an inch. Yesterday was cooler with a high of only about 61°, a low of about 35°, and north winds of 15-20mph.

Today’s high will be only in the high fifties, but the forecast is for warmer temperatures and another gorgeous weekend.

Roscoe still hasn’t had a freeze. The average date for the first one is November 11, and back in September Bruce McGlothlin confidently predicted that the first freeze would be on November 12 this year, which is Saturday. It will be interesting to see if he's right.

--o--

Remembering the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway

2011-11-02T10:35:00.005-05:00

The RS&P on a run to Snyder in the 1970s.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working on an application to the Texas Historical Commission for a historical marker for the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway. If approved, it will be permanently placed in Roscoe’s Memorial Park on Cypress and Broadway, across the street from the museum.

Since the RS&P has now been gone since 1984, an entire generation has grown up here without it, but for most of Roscoe’s existence it was a major player in the area and for that reason deserves to be recognized and remembered. Even today, many people around the country are aware of Roscoe, Texas, only because of its existence.

The RS&P began in 1906 as the idea of General F. W. James, an early pioneer and west Texas entrepreneur, who hoped to connect the cities of Snyder, Post, and Lubbock by rail to the Texas & Pacific Railway at Roscoe and then continue on to New Mexico. Fortunes were waiting for businessmen who could bring efficient transportation to the new communities that were springing up on the prairie that not too long earlier had been the domain of buffaloes and Comanches.

General James got the backing of a group of businessmen from Abilene and then went to Roscoe and Snyder with his idea. The leaders of both communities were enthusiastic about his proposal and promised him both money and land. A deal was struck in the summer of 1906, and in October the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway was formally chartered with a capital of $200,000.

Surveying and grading began and continued until June 1907, when the first track was laid on the railroad’s right of way in Roscoe. That fall the crews, working ten-hour days at 15¢ an hour, built a bridge over Cottonwood Creek, then laid track the eight miles to Wastella. In early 1908 they reached Hermleigh, and in May they made it to all the way to Snyder.

Passenger and freight service between Roscoe and Snyder began on May 22, 1908, and on June 4 there was a big celebration in Snyder attended by a crowd estimated by the Dallas Morning News at 10,000. Track laying continued, and in September 1909, the work gangs reached the new city of Fluvanna, 49½ miles from Roscoe, and there was another celebration.

However, in that same month the Santa Fe began laying track from Lubbock toward Coleman to connect with its southeast Texas subsidiary, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe, and there was thus no future for the RS&P to go any farther. So, its proposed northwestern expansion was never fully realized, and the Pacific part of its name remained only as a relic of the founders’ early dreams.

Nevertheless, it survived early financial difficulties and prospered. Even though passenger and freight service to Fluvanna was discontinued in 1941 and passenger service to Snyder in 1953, it remained one of the most successful short lines in the country by serving as a bridge between the Santa Fe and the T&P railroads. Its success was recognized in a 1955 feature article in Railway Age magazine.

In 1962, it converted its old steam engine repair shop in Roscoe into a railcar repair facility to service its own cars and those of other companies—and later designed and built cars to meet shippers’ needs. This branch of the railroad later became the National Railcar Company and is now Eagle Railcar Services.

In 1967, the RS&P was sold to Roger Mize of Snyder and the Murchison Brothers of Dallas—one of whom, Clint, also owned the Dallas Cowboys. It was prosperous all through the 1970s with over seventy full-time employees, two modern diesel engines, and over 600 freight cars. In those years, it made between $1 million and $1.6 million a year before taxes.

However, deregulation of the railroads following the passage of the Staggers Act in 1980 made it impossible for the company to continue to compete. It began losing money and finally had to be shut down in August 1984.

Nevertheless, the RS&P was a major player not only in the settlement, growth, and prosperity of Roscoe and surrounding area but also in the efficient and timely transport of goods and produce between the west coast and the south for more than seventy-five years.

The track between Roscoe and Snyder was picked up shortly after the railroad closed, and all that remains today is the track and a diesel locomotive now owned by Eagle Railcar, but you can still follow the RS&P on an imaginary trip from Roscoe to Snyder by viewing this eight-minute YouTube animation created by railroad hobbyists.

Sponsors for the historical marker are Susan Alford’s third graders, who raised the money for the application and the fee for the marker.

--o--

JACKRABBITS DEFEAT PLOWBOYS 28-7

The Ralls Jackrabbits proved to be too much for the Plowboys last Friday night, scoring a touchdown in each quarter to win by a score of 28-7. Three of their TDs came on long runs, two by Kaleb Reese—a 60-yarder in the first quarter and a 41-yarder in the fourth—as well as a 32-yarder by Jonathan Vangundy in the third. Reese rushed for 150 yards overall.

Roscoe’s lone score came with 1:36 left to go in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run by Eric Padilla, who rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries.

The Plowboys are now 0-9 for the year and 0-4 in district play. They conclude their season on Friday against the Yellowhammers in Rotan. Rotan is now 3-6 on the year and 1-3 in district after defeating Roby last Friday 24-14.

If the Plowboys do go 0-10 on the year, it will be the first time it has happened since 1990 and the fourth time overall. The other 0-10 seasons were in 1954 and 1967.

--o--

AMERICAN LEGION TO HOST BREAKFAST ON VETERAN’S DAY

The Frost-Whittington American Legion Post No. 227 announces a Veteran’s Day Breakfast, which will be held next Friday, November 11, at 7:00am. All veterans and active duty personnel along with their families are invited.

For more information, call 325-766-8887.

--o--

THE WEATHER REPORT

The weather was generally beautiful for the week with high temperatures in the seventies and lows in the forties. A cold front blew in last Thursday bringing cool weather for a couple of days with lows in the high thirties and highs in the upper fifties. There was a bit of a frost one morning but not enough to kill any plants.

Thursday was cloudy and rainy most of the day with intermittent drizzle that amounted to about two or three tenths of an inch. Monday was a bit breezy, but other than that, the weather was just about as pretty as you could ask for.

That’s all supposed to change today, however, with a norther blowing in later on with temperatures falling from the seventies to the mid-fifties this afternoon with winds from the northwest around 25-30 mph and gusts up to 45 mph. Lows in the mid to low thirties are predicted for tonight and tomorrow night, followed by warmer weather for the weekend.

--o--

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS ON SUNDAY

Don’t forget that Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00am this Sunday, November 6. You’ll need to set your clocks back one hour to create the only twenty-five hour day we’ll have this year.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-26T09:35:00.007-05:00

Halloween will be on Monday this year, so remember to buy some trick-or-treat candy if you haven’t already done so, and keep in mind that kids will be trick-or-treating and walking the streets before and after sundown.

Although Halloween may not be the wide open affair it once was, it is still observed with some semblance of its old spirit in Roscoe. After living in the big city for so many years, I assumed that the “trick or treat” part was just about dead, and I was dubious last year when people told me to buy at least three bags of candy.

But they were right. By the end of the evening, I had only about three Reese’s Sticks left from the three bags I bought. Some of the little kids did have mothers taking them around in cars, but more often than not it was big sisters or brothers out walking the streets with them, just like in the old days.

That’s a lot better than the urban suburbs, where one bag of candy is usually more than enough—at least where I lived. Trick-or-treating starts there about an hour before dark, and the kids in costume are invariably accompanied by mothers who stand a few steps back and carefully watch whoever answers the door. Many won’t even knock at a door that doesn’t have the porch light on and also something like a jack-o-lantern on the front porch to indicate that the house is a “safe” one.

And an hour or so after dark, it’s all over. Maybe a couple of twelve-year-olds come around at 7:30 or so, but after that there are no more knocks. As far as the treats go, no mother is about to let her kids eat anything that’s not pre-packaged for fear the candy might have LSD in it or razor blades or something toxic.

That’s not the way it was in Roscoe some fifty years ago. Back then, “trick-or-treat” meant trick or treat. If we kids said, “Trick or treat,” and the person who answered the door didn’t give us some candy or if they told us to go away, then a “trick” was fair game. I can remember carrying a piece of soap to write with on window screens in case of such an eventuality, and I can also remember kids with toilet paper as well.

And there were no adults out walking us around. When we were ready to go, our parents told us to behave ourselves, and then they went back in the house while we headed out for a night of adventure with masks on our faces and empty paper sacks that we were anxious to fill.

We roamed the town knocking on doors and hoping to hit the jackpot with candy. As far as treats went, the best were not pre-packaged but home-made candy apples or caramel popcorn balls—although getting something like a Milky Way or Three Musketeers was a rare and treasured gift. Usually, though, the treat was something like candy corn, marshmallow peanuts, Kits, Tootsie Rolls, or some other kind of penny candy.

And prank playing was a regular part of the evening, especially for the older kids. While the younger ones were trick-or-treating, teenagers were out prowling around and running in packs looking for some kind of monkey business to get involved in. Those big enough to be going around in cars sometimes had water balloons, and if you were a kid walking the streets, you had to watch out for them.

When we got back home from our trick-or-treating, we emptied our sacks onto the table and checked out our take for the evening, and, if our mothers weren’t watching too closely, we ate too much of it, starting with the best first.

Still, although Halloween has changed over the years, I’m sure today's kids enjoy the adventure much as we did.

(For a Halloween greeting, click here.)

--o--

CROSBYTON DISPATCHES PLOWBOYS 48-6

It was another tough game for the Plowboys Friday night as the Crosbyton Chiefs came in and methodically put them away with solid displays of both offense and defense. The Chiefs’ Adam Ortiz returned a Plowboy fumble for a touchdown on the opening kickoff, and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the game.

The score at halftime was 21-0, and the Plowboys were held scoreless until Chris De Leon scored on a 38-yard touchdown run with 3:23 left to go in the fourth quarter. The Plowboys played hard, but with their five turnovers—four fumbles and one interception—there was no chance of them staying in the game.

Standouts on defense for the Plowboys were Landon Jones, Eric Padilla, and Luke Rovig and on offense Padilla, Rovig, and Chris De Leon.

The Plowboys play at home again this Friday, this time against the Ralls Jackrabbits, who are 3-5 on the year and 2-1 in district play. Last Friday they beat Roby 20-6. Kickoff is at 7:30.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM QUALIFIES FOR REGIONAL

The Roscoe Plowgirls’ cross-country track team came in third in the district meet on Monday to qualify for the regional meet on Saturday, November 5. Girls on the team are Amber Craig, Danielle Dean, Crystal Luna, Jacinda Morales, Alura Renteria, Miriam Solis, and Whitney Williams.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Except for the lack of precipitation, Roscoe enjoyed a week of almost perfect weather, with highs in the low to mid eighties and lows in the high fifties. It’s that time of year when neither air conditioners nor heaters are needed, and windows can be left open all day.

That’s all supposed to change today with a norther blowing in and a 30% chance of rain tonight. Tomorrow will bring a 50% chance of showers with a low tomorrow night in the upper thirties, which will be the coldest it’s been so far this year.

The rain we got a couple of weeks ago has revived all the lawns around town, and everything is a lot greener now than it has been all year. Even so, the Nolan County Commissioners re-instated the burn ban at their meeting on Monday, and a nice rain today or tomorrow would be more than welcome.

Wind Festival a Huge Success

2011-10-19T10:38:00.002-05:00

Spectators crowd Cypress Street to hear the Bellamy Brothers. (Photo Courtesy of Leslie Schmidt)

On a day when the weather was almost as perfect as anyone could ask for, a huge throng of local folks and visitors from surrounding communities converged on downtown Roscoe to enjoy the fifth annual West Texas Wind Festival, which turned out to be the biggest and arguably the best one yet.

The free concert starring the Bellamy Brothers and the fireworks show were attended by an estimated crowd of 3500, which filled the downtown parks and Cypress Street from the stage next to the Roscoe State Bank all the way back to the Lumberyard.

The Barbecue Cookoff sponsored by the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department had more entries and prize money than ever, and the always popular Plowboy Mudbog drew a sizable crowd at George Parks Field while vendors of all types sold their wares on the downtown streets.

Kids enjoyed the inflatable slides, bounce houses, and games in the downtown park, and the ones who participated in the Mudbog Dash for Cash at the baseball field were covered with mud as they raced, stumbled, fell, and crawled through the blackland sludge of the mudbog to the delight of the onlookers.

Food and snacks of all types were available everywhere, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves as they watched or participated in the many festivities.

Lawless Flatz kicked off the free concert and street dance and got the crowd revved up for the Bellamy Brothers, who followed and pleased the audience with old favorites such as their “Let Your Love Flow,” “Old Hippie,” “Redneck Girl,” and “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body,” while mixing in some of their more recent hits like “Guilty of the Crime,” “Jalapeños,” and others.

Despite the huge crowd, events seemed to go off without a hitch, and most who attended went away pleased with the way the festival was run. All the planning and hard work by the organizers of the event paid off, and the result was one the city can be proud of.

--o--

WEST TEXAS WIND FESTIVAL, PART 1:

Scenes from the 5th annual Wind Festival, including the Plowboy Band, street scenes, the Plowboy Mudbog, the Mudbog Dash for Cash, and cookoff scenes.

WEST TEXAS WIND FESTIVAL, PART 2:

Scenes from the 5th annual Wind Festival, including street scenes, kids' inflatables, Lawless Flatz, cookoff awards, fireworks, and the Bellamy Brothers singing "Old Hippie" and "Guilty of the Crime."

WEST TEXAS WIND FESTIVAL, PART 3:

The Bellamy Brothers sing "For All the Wrong Reasons," "Let Your Love Flow," and "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body" at the street dance.

--o--

PLOWBOYS FALL TO ROBY 14-0

The Roscoe Plowboys put up their best defensive effort of the season against the Roby Lions last Friday, but the offense couldn’t capitalize, and the Plowboys lost once again. Roby jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on touchdown runs by Matt Fells and Troy Stevenson, and that was the end of the scoring for the evening for either team. Roby is now 2-1 in district play and Roscoe is 0-2.

Chris De Leon rushed for 70 yards to lead the offense while Luke Rovig, Landon Jones and Matthew Cuellar stood out on defense.

This Friday the Plowboys are at home against the Crosbyton Chiefs, who are 4-3 on the year and 2-0 in district play. They are coming off a 60-15 shellacking of Rotan.

--o--

† RUTH LIGHT

Funeral services were held on Friday at the Roscoe Church of Christ for Martha Ruth Light, 96, who passed away on Wednesday, October 12, at Sweetwater Healthcare Center. Interment followed at the Roscoe Cemetery.

She was born April 7, 1915, in Mitchell County and married Leland “Runt” Light on April 5, 1947, in Hermleigh. She attended Wastella schools and lived in Nolan and Mitchell Counties all her llife. She attended beauty school in Abilene and worked as a beautician for many years. She was also a housewife and member of the Roscoe Church of Christ.

Survivors include her daughter, Schylon Boyd of Sweetwater, granddaughters Sabrina Bishop of Roscoe and Sharessa Garrett of Sweetwater; a sister, Ruby Parker of Roscoe, and brother, Wayne Hagood of Sweetwater; a great-granddaughter and many nieces and nephews.

--o--

† ARCHIE HUNTER

Funeral services were held on Sunday at the First Baptist Church for Archie Joseph Hunter, who passed away at home on Thursday, October 13.

He was born on May 27, 1932, and graduated from Roscoe High School in 1952. After attending Arlington Junior College on a football scholarship, he served in the U.S. Army and played on the all-Army football team before returning to college at Hardin-Simmons University, where he played for Coach Sammy Baugh. He married Sherry L. Hunter on February 25, 1956.

After graduating with a degree in accounting, he moved back to Roscoe and went to work for Flintkote in Sweetwater, where he rose in rank to become the North American comptroller before retiring in 1994.

He was a long-time Deacon of the First Baptist Church. He was also a high school football and basketball official for many years. He attended all Plowboys and Plowgirls sports events and was a leader in the booster club. He was also a community leader, serving on the school board and groundwater district board.

Survivors include his wife, Sherry, of Roscoe; daughter Sandy Graham of Stephenville; sons Arthur Lee Hunter of Crawford and Dan Hunter of Stephenville; sisters Audrey Hunter and Mae Hunter of Coppell and Sue Sanford of St. Louis, Missouri; brother Howard Hunter of Odessa; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers were the Roscoe Plowboy coaches and honorary pallbearers were the Deacons of the First Baptist Church.

Big Rain Breaks Long Dry Spell

2011-10-12T10:15:00.015-05:00

Rain falls on my driveway early Saturday morning.

On Saturday the big rain finally came that everyone in west Texas has been hoping for all year long. It started in Roscoe about 8:30am and continued off and on for the rest of the day. Some places recorded a tenth or two on Sunday, but in general, it all happened on Saturday. There was no hail, and, outside a couple of hard bursts, the rain was almost completely of the slow, easy variety that soaks in instead of running off.

Amounts of rainfall in the area varied depending on location, but most places got somewhere between three and four inches, including Roscoe. Although some people on the southwest side of town reported over four inches, the official amount recorded by Kenny Landfried on the east side was 3.45”, bringing the year’s total to 5.98”.

The most rain reported in the Roscoe area was in the south and west. Some places around Maryneal got more than five inches, and the same was true for some farms closer to Loraine. Jill Frizzell, who lives across I-20 from Frances Richburg on the Champion road six miles west of town, recorded 5.25”.

Jerry Rannefeld, four miles west, got 4.5”, and David Duncan, three miles west got 2.8” while John Bergstrom, two miles out, also got 2.8”. Northwest of town Gary Pieper got 4.5” in Wastella, while Inadale got 4.0”. North of town, Darrell Aljoe had 3.6”, Jeremy Baker 4.0”, and Billy Joe Jay 4.1”.

The rain was not confined to the Roscoe area but fell throughout much of the Big Country. Sweetwater got 4.0”, Rotan 2.62”, Abilene 3.57”, Clyde 2.94”, Ballinger 2.7”, Coleman 2.44”, Brownwood 5.21”, Brady 2.75”, Haskell 2.87”, Throckmorton 4.75”, and Albany 3.5”.

On Monday, the Nolan County Commissioners lifted the county burn ban that has been in effect since early last spring.

--o--

HUGE CROWD EXPECTED FOR WIND FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY

The Bellamy Brothers

Roscoe’s Community Development Board met at City Hall last night to discuss final plans for the fifth annual Wind Festival coming up on Saturday. This is most likely to be the largest one ever, primarily because of the popularity of the Bellamy Brothers, who are the feature group for the free concert to be held “on the bricks” in Cypress Street in front of the Roscoe State Bank.

The Bellamy Brothers, David and Howard, have been performing together since 1968 and over the years have established themselves as one of the premier musical groups in the country. Even if you’re not a big country and western fan, you’ll be familiar with many of their songs. “Let Your Love Flow,” released in 1976, hit number one on the pop charts in both the U.S. and Europe, and their country classic, “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me,” also was a crossover number one hit. It was also named the 1979 “Song of the Year” in the UK.

The pair also had a string of hits in the eighties and nineties, including such songs as “Redneck Girl,” “Santa Fe,” “Old Hippie,” and others. In 2005 they recorded “Angels & Outlaws, Volume 1,” a compilation album with Dolly Parton, George Jones, Tanya Tucker, Alan Jackson, and Montgomery Gentry, while more recent albums include “The Anthology, Volume 1,” with the single, “Guilty of the Crime,” and a CD of gospel music entitled “Jesus is Coming.”

The Wind Festival will almost certainly be your only chance ever to see them for free, so if you live in the area, make plans to take advantage of the opportunity. The opening band for the free concert will be Lawless Flatz, a popular group from Roby.

Another popular event on Saturday will be the Plowboy Mudbog, which is shaping up to be the biggest and baddest ever with entries from as far away as Hobbs, New Mexico, planning to attend. Prices for admission will be $5 for 14 and up, $2 for 7 to 13, and free for kids 6 and under. Events will run from noon until finish around 4:00 or so. , All proceeds will go to Roscoe’s Little League Baseball program. The Roscoe Academic Booster Club will handle the food concession.

The Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department will also hold its annual Barbecue Cookoff with prizes for steak, ribs, and chicken:

                  1st Prize    2nd Prize 3rd Prize
     1. Steak        $1000        $500         $250
     2. Ribs            $500        $250          $150
     3. Chicken     $250        $150             $75

The entry fee is $75, and contestants must enter all three categories.

Arts, crafts, and food booths on downtown streets will include a number of local non-profit organizations including school groups from both Roscoe and Highland, and the kids’ area downtown will once again feature several inflatables.

There will also be a fireworks show at 8:45pm.

Weather permitting, this year’s Wind Festival should be a memorable event.

--o--

PIED PIPERS DOWN PLOWBOYS IN DISTRICT OPENER 40-8

In the district opener for both teams, the Hamlin Pied Pipers methodically beat down the Roscoe Plowboys for a 40-8 victory.

The Plowboys held the Pipers until the latter part of the first quarter when Taylor Lambert found Tanner Kieschnick wide open in the Plowboy secondary for an easy 64-yard touchdown pass, and the game went downhill for the Plowboys from there.

By halftime, the score was 18-0, and the outcome no longer in doubt as the Plowboys were unable to sustain any drives on offense. Finally, in the last minute of the game, Eduardo Gallegos scored on a 63-yard run and Eric Padilla ran over the extra points to avoid the shutout.

This Friday, the Plowboys travel to Roby to take on the 1-5 Roby Lions. The Plowboys are now 0-6 for the year.

--o--

† WILLIE ARPE CROW

A graveside service was held on Friday at the Roscoe Cemetery for Willie Arpe Crow, 82, who died in Granbury on Tuesday, October 4.

She was born April 1, 1929, in Hunt County and married Woodrow J. Arpe on Feb. 20, 1946, in Nolan County. She was a member of the Roby Church of Christ and had lived in Roscoe since 1946. She worked for the George Thompson Agency and Bennett & Baucum Agency before going to work at the Nolan County Auditor’s office in 1978. She later was appointed Nolan County Auditor and held that position until her retirement in 2001.

Survivors include two sons, Billy Arpe of Roscoe and Jackie (Chuck) Arpe of Stephenville; one daughter, Patricia Davis of Giddings; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Fire Department to Hold Raffle for Barbecue Pit

2011-10-05T09:59:00.000-05:00

Barbecue Pit to be raffled off at Wind Festival

The Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department will be selling raffle tickets at its booth at the Wind Festival on Saturday, October 15, for a beautiful barbecue pit built and donated by Stewart Williams.

This is your chance to win a barbecue pit as well as to support your local firefighters, who have been busy enough, to say the least, over the past few months.

A $1 donation will get you one chance, and a $5 donation will get you six chances. Tickets may also be purchased before the festival from local firefighters.

For more information contact Gary Armstrong at 325-235-4110.

--o--

WIND FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

8:00am – Cook’s meeting. Deadline to enter Cookoff.
9:30am – Registration for Plowboy Mudbog contestants begins.
10:00am – Vendors, Kids’ area open
11:00am – Public gate for Plowboy Mudbog opens
12:00 – 5:00pm – Plowboy Mudbog at George Parks Field
4:00pm – Judging for steaks, ribs, chicken in Cookoff
5:30-7:30pm – Free Concert begins with Lawless Flatz
7:30pm – Cookoff prizes awarded
8:00-8:45pm – Free Concert continues with Bellamy Brothers
8:45-9:05pm – Fireworks Show
9:05-10:00pm – Free Concert continues with Bellamy Brothers
10:00pm – Festival Ends

Contacts for more information:

Vendors – Kelly Etheredge, 325-725-0756
Barbecue Cookoff – Gary Armstrong, 325-235-4110
Plowboy Mudbog – Felix Pantoja, 325-514-8384, or David Pantoja, 325-280-1917
Free Concert and Street Dance – Kelly Etheredge, 325-725-0756
Roscoe City Hall – 325-766-3871

More details are available in last week's edition of the Roscoe Hard Times.

--o--

PLOWBOYS OPEN DISTRICT PLAY ON FRIDAY AGAINST HAMLIN

After a week off, the Roscoe Plowboys will open district play this Friday, October 7, at Plowboy Field against the Hamlin Pied Pipers, who also had an open date this past week.

The Pied Pipers were pre-season picks of both the Abilene Reporter-News and Dave Campbell’s 2011 Texas Football magazine to win District 7A-II, so the Plowboys will have their hands full.

Hopefully, the Plowboys' grueling pre-district games will give them the experience they need to handle their district foes and make it to the playoffs once again. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.

--o--

† BETTY JEAN NANCE

Funeral services were held last week in Yuma, Arizona, for Betty Jean Nance, who passed away on Sunday, September 25.

She was born Betty Jean Hestand on September 26, 1935, in Roscoe and married Edgar Nance, Sr. She graduated from Roscoe High School in 1954. Survivors include her husband, Ed, Sr. of Yuma; sons Ed Jr. of Yuma, John of Eugene, Oregon, and Robert of Tucson; daughter Rebecca of Yuma; brother David Hestand of La Junta, Colorado; and sister Dorothy Young of Sweetwater.

--o--

† ANTONIO B. QUINTANA

Antonio Quintana, 95, passed away at home on Sunday, October 2. Services were held yesterday, October 4, at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Sweetwater followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery.

Antonio was born May 10, 1916, in Shafter, Texas. He moved to Mitchell County in 1932, married Cecilia Santiago on November 13, 1936, in Loraine, and farmed and lived west of Roscoe for the rest of his life. He is survived by sons Rosalio S. (Chale) of Waxahachie, Jose S. (Bill) of Roscoe, and daughter Eufelia Quintana of Roscoe; six grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren.

--o--

† WILLIE ARPE CROW

Willie Arpe Crow, 82, died yesterday, October 4. Arrangements are pending with McCoy Funeral Home.

--o--

THE REEL DEAL IS REAL DONE

The Reel Deal Game Room, which opened on August 3 in Doc Daily's old office on Main Street, has closed its doors and ceased operations.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

The area experienced some cooler weather this week with two mild cold fronts. Last weekend saw high temperatures in the eighties and lows around sixty followed by a couple of days that got up into the low nineties. These were followed however by the last couple of days, when temperatures dropped back to maximums in the upper eighties and lows in the high fifties.

The forecast is for cooler weather this weekend with increasing chances for showers starting at 20% today and increasing to 30% on Friday evening, 40% on Saturday, and 50% on Saturday night, decreasing to 40% on Sunday and 20% on Sunday night.

--o--

ANIMALS ON THE MOVE

The drought is apparently having an effect on the local wildlife as more animals have been seen in and around town lately. Nolan Martin, the manager of the Lumberyard café on Cypress, reports that he has seen the following animals downtown: raccoon, possum, skunk, silver fox, and red fox, and on Monday David Duncan saw two pronghorn antelopes just a couple of miles west of town. Apparently, the search for food and water is causing the animals to stray from their usual haunts.

Isabel Aguayo and Devon Carter Freeman are Homecoming Queen and King

2011-09-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

Devon Carter Freeman and Isabel Aguayo

At the ceremonies held at halftime of last Friday’s football game, Isabel Aguayo was crowned Homecoming Queen and Devon Carter Freeman Homecoming King.

The Band Sweetheart was Alura Renteria, and the Band Beau was Eduardo Gallegos.

Homecoming Queen Nominees were Shalana Mitchell, Jacinda Morales, and Lynnsi Moses, and King Nominees were Matthew Cuellar, Corey Hatcher, and Eric Padilla.

--o--

MUNDAY TOO MUCH FOR PLOWBOYS AT HOMECOMING

The Munday Moguls upped their season record to 4-1 with a decisive victory over the Plowboys on Friday night, 55-6. The Plowboys held the Moguls to a 6-0 first quarter, but once Munday got rolling there was no stopping them for the rest of the evening.

The Plowboys did get a 61-yard touchdown run from Eduardo Gallegos in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late. The main solace for the Plowboys now is that they have completed their grueling pre-district schedule against some of the best teams in the Big Country and should be playing teams closer to their own level from here on out.

This Friday night, however, they are off. They’ll begin district play next Friday night, October 7, at home against the Hamlin Pied Pipers. The pre-season favorite to win District 7AII, the Pied Pipers also have an open date this Friday.

--o--

CITY MAKES PLANS FOR BIGGEST WIND HARVEST FESTIVAL YET

The Bellamy Brothers

At its meeting at the City Hall last night, Roscoe’s Entertainment Committee made advance plans for this year’s Fifth Annual Wind Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 15. Organizers expect this to be the annual event’s biggest celebration ever. The feature attraction, a free concert by the Bellamy Brothers, will bring in folks from all over the Big Country, and a huge crowd is anticipated.

However, the Bellamy Brothers are not the only draw as several other popular activities will take place that day. In addition to the free concert and street dance, there will be more street vendors than ever, a Plowboy Mudbog, a Fire Department Cookoff, inflatables for the kids, and a fireworks show.

FREE CONCERT AND STREET DANCE

The free concert and street dance “on the bricks” downtown on Cypress Street will open with Lawless Flatz, a popular band from Roby, from 5:30-7:30pm. The Bellamy Brothers will play from 8:00 to 8:45 and then break for the fireworks show at around 8:45. They will return immediately following the fireworks, around 9:05 or so, and then play until 10:00.

FIRE DEPARTMENT COOKOFF

The Barbecue Cookoff, sponsored by the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department, will award prizes in three categories:

                  1st Prize    2nd Prize    3rd Prize
     1. Steak        $1000        $500        $250
     2. Ribs            $500        $250         $150
     3. Chicken     $250        $150           $75

The entry fee is $75, and contestants must enter all three categories. Deadline for entry will be the cooks' meeting at 8:00am on October 15. Judging will take place in the afternoon, and prizes will be awarded at the recognitions ceremony around 7:15pm.

Dry camping only will be available starting at 6:00pm on October 14, and generators may be used. Spots will be available on a “first come, first pick” basis. For more information, call organizer Gary Armstrong at 325-235-4110.

VENDORS

There will be a multitude of vendors selling all sorts of things in the downtown area throughout the Wind Festival. Vendors will be open for business from 10:00am-10:00pm. Vendor space, still available, is free for non-profits and $40 for all others. If interested, contact Kelly Etheredge soon at 325-725-0756.

PLOWBOY MUDBOG

A Plowboy Mudbog will be held at George Parks Field on Sycamore Street. Since its inception, this event has steadily grown both in the quality and number of entrants and in the number of spectators. Organizers Felix and David Pantoja anticipate that this will be the best Plowboy Mudbog yet and will feature some of the best vehicles in west Texas and eastern New Mexico.

Registration for contestants starts at 9:30am on the day of the event, and the fee is $25 per driver. Seat belts and helmets will be required.

The public gate opens at 11:00am. Prices for admission are $5 for 14 and up, $2 for 7 to 13, and free for kids 6 and under. Events will run from noon until finish around 4:00 or 5:00pm.

Mudbog Categories are as follows:

1.    Street Class (35” wheels, limited engine modification)
2.    Super Street (35” wheels, engine vac under 13”)
3.    Modified Class (36”-39” wheels, limited engine modification)
4.    Super Modified Class (36”-39” wheels, engine vac under 13”)
5.    Open Class (40” wheels and over, no blowers or nos)

All proceeds benefit Roscoe Little League baseball. For more information, contact Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384 or David Pantoja at 325-280-1917--or check out the Plowboy Mudbog page on Facebook.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

The past week was once again dry and sunny and somewhat hotter than one would expect with several days topping out in the high nineties. Lows were in the low seventies and high sixties. No rain is in the forecast.

The hot weather didn’t seem to affect the migration patterns of the buzzards and butterflies, however. Last week a huge number of buzzards could be seen circling in the sky one afternoon as they gathered up to go south for the winter. And in the past few days, the entire area has been inundated with the annual fall migration of the monarch butterflies. So, even though cold weather is not here yet, these events are sure signs that it is on the way.

New Downtown Establishments Open for Business

2011-09-21T10:12:00.000-05:00

The old Ag Center building is the new home of the Feed Store & More.

Although neither has yet had an official grand opening, both of Roscoe’s newest downtown commercial ventures are open and doing business.

Still without its new sign, the Feed Store & More, in the old Ag Center building across the street from the Lumberyard on Cypress Street, is now in full operation. A joint venture of Bruce McGlothlin and Chuck Harvey, it stocks feed for horses, cattle, lambs, goats, dogs, and pigs and is currently selling spring-cut alfalfa hay with some fresh-cut on the way. You can also buy hen scratch and deer corn there. More items will be available as time goes on.

Work hours are 7:30am-7:00pm Monday through Saturday, and 12:00-5:00pm on Sundays. Amber Bollinger is the sales clerk, and the telephone number is 325-766-2211.

Prices may vary from week to week because of the current situation regarding feed, but Chuck Harvey assures me that they'll meet or beat any prices you’ll find in Sweetwater.

The Feed Store is only Phase One for the business. A new general store, Ye Ol’ General Store, is also planned for the building next door where Dandy Fence used to be. It is scheduled to open later this year.

VP Tire & Service on East Broadway is now open.

VP Tire & Service, on 702 E. Broadway where Jesse Faust’s Garage once was, is being run by David Pantoja and Mark Diaz. They started full operation on September 10 and sell both new and used tires, do general maintenance such as oil changes, flats, and brakes, and make minor repairs. There are also plans to have a service truck. Like the Feed Store & More, they are also waiting for a new sign.

Their hours of operation are from 7:30-5:00 Monday through Friday and 8:00-12:00 on Saturday.

The owners vow that their prices are also as good as or better than what you find in Sweetwater not only for tires but also for labor. For more information, contact David Pantoja at 325-280-1917.

--o--

VICKIE’S GIFTS ADDING NEW SPACE

Vickie’s Gifts, owned by Vickie Haynes and in business on 211 Main Street for the past 13 years, is currently undergoing expansion with a new wing under construction.

When it is complete, the store will have some 3000 additional feet. Eight hundred feet of that will be a courtyard where items are sold, a thousand will be for storage, and the other fourteen hundred will be additional shop space. The plan is to have everything complete by mid-November.

--o--

DOROTHA MAE (MRS. WILSON) SMITH

Dorotha Mae Ford Smith, 89, passed away on Saturday, September 17. Funeral services were held on Monday at the Roscoe Church of Christ, followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery.

Dorotha Mae Ford was born August 17, 1922, in Beardstown, Texas, and grew up in Roscoe. She wedded Wilson L. Smith on January 6, 1940, and was married to him for 67 years until his death on July 17, 2007.

She is survived by three children, Jimmy Wilson Smith and wife Candy of Plano, Barbara Smith O’Neil and husband Pete of Dallas, and Stacey Smith Cheney of Plano, as well as eight grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.

--o--

MERKEL DOWNS PLOWBOYS 39-0

The Plowboys endured another rough game as Class 2A Merkel proved to be too much for the Plowboys. The outcome was never in doubt as the score was 33-0 at the half. Baylor Mullins passed for 115 yards and two touchdowns for the Badgers as Merkel improved its record to 2-1 for the year.

Top rushers for the Plowboys were Eduardo Gallegos with 40 yards, Eric Padilla with 36, and Chris DeLeon with 32.

The Plowboys are now 0-4 after facing two good 2A teams and two of the region’s class A powerhouses, with none of the games at home. That is hardly the kind of schedule one would hope to have for a relatively young and inexperienced team such as the Plowboys.

And, even though Friday night is their home opener, things won’t be any easier for the Plowboys as they face 3-1 Munday, whose only loss was to Stamford and whose average margin of victory for the last three games against Olney, Jim Ned, and Haskell is 37 points.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Although there was plenty of lightning and distant thunder last night, another week has passed without any rain.

According to the U. S. Drought Monitor, conditions in Texas continue to deteriorate.   It is now in its worst single-year drought ever with practically the entire state in the most extreme drought category possible, as can be seen on the U. S. Drought map by clicking here.

Texas has just finished its driest 11 months on record and also just experienced the hottest June through August ever in the United States.   The absence of any significant tropical activity along with the probability of a second consecutive La Niña winter give little hope that the current weather pattern will end soon.

Happy Equinox, everybody!

Christi Pepper Beal Appointed to City Council

2011-09-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

New Council Member Christi Pepper Beal and Mayor Pete Porter.

At its meeting at the City Hall last night, the Roscoe CityCouncil appointed Christi Pepper Beal to fill the empty council seat formerlyheld by Council Member Bobby Dyer, who was unable to complete his term due toongoing physical problems. Beal will servein his place until next spring’s elections.

Two Roscoe citizens had indicated to the Council theirdesire to fill the empty seat—Christi Pepper Beal and Robert Fortin. Both were present at last night’s meeting toexpress their reasons for wanting to serve, and after hearing them, the Councilappointed Beal.

--o--

PLOWBOYS LOSE AT STAMFORD 58-14

The Stamford Bulldogs were simply too much for the RoscoePlowboys at Stamford last Friday night. Bulldog quarterback Bo Wimberly hit his speedy receiver, Jesse Ramos,four times with long-range scoring bombs while Stamford held the Plowboys incheck all evening. Stamford led athalftime 38-7.

Running back Eduardo Gallegos made both Plowboy TDs withlong runs, one of 55 yards in the second quarter and one of 77 yards in thefourth.

The Bulldogs are now 3-0 on the year while the Plowboys are0-3. Roscoe goes to Merkel on Friday toplay the 2A Badgers, who are 1-1 on the year after beating Colorado City 34-21and losing to Wall 31-23.

--o--

APPLICATION WORKSHOP TOMORROW FOR PROSPECTIVEHOMEBUILDERS APPLYING FOR STATE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The City of Roscoe will hold an application workshoptomorrow (Thurs. Sept. 15) afternoon from 4:00-6:00pm for people interested inapplying for financial support from the Texas Department of Housing andCommunity Affairs. The program is forlow-income homeowners who wish to tear down their old substandard home andreplace it with a new one.

See lastweek’s Roscoe Hard Times for more details, or call City Hall at 325-766-3871.

--o--

CADEN SMITH MAKES A&M FOOTBALL TEAM AS WALK-ON

As many Roscoans suspected he would, former Plowboy sportsstar Caden Smith has been successful in his bid to make the Texas A&Mfootball team as a walk-on.

The AbileneReporter-News published a nice article about him in Monday’s paper. You can access it by clicking here.

--o--

CITY BEGINS PREPARATIONS FOR FIFTH ANNUAL WIND HARVESTFESTIVAL

The Bellamy Brothers

The City of Roscoe is already making preparations for thisyear’s Fifth Annual Wind Festival, which will take place on October 15. Besides the usual preparations regardingvendors, the kids’ area, the Plowboy Mudbog, the fireworks show, the FireDepartment cookoff, and other events, the City anticipates a larger crowd thanever because of the popularity of this year’s headline band, the BellamyBrothers.

A well-known duo since the seventies, the Bellamy Brothershave made their mark on both the popular and country & western charts. Their hits include “If I Said You Had aBeautiful Body” and “Let Your Love Flow,” both of which made it to number oneon the pop charts, as well as “Spiders and Snakes,” “Redneck Girl,” “Santa Fe,”and many others.

The larger crowd will require more attention than usual tosuch matters as visitor parking, restrooms, and security.

--o--

NO CHANGES IN CITY BUDGET FOR 2012

The 2012 budget for the City of Roscoe, which was approved last night by the City Council, is identical in all respects to the 2011 budget, i.e., there will be no tax increases, no raises for City employees, and no changes in any other areas for the coming year.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Roscoe experienced yet another week of hot, dry weather with no threats of precipitation. High temperatures ranged from the low to high nineties while the lows were in the low seventies to high sixties.

Today's forecast is for a high of 98° and a low tonight in the 70°s, but a cold front is on the way, which will bring a 20% chance of rain and a high tomorrow in the mid 70°s with a low in the low 60°s.

Weather expert Bruce McGlothlin reports that the first freeze this year will come on November 12. He says he can safely predict this date because it falls exactly three months after the first cold front in August, which came this year on August 12. He cites as evidence of the accuracy of his method a steak dinner he once won off Dugan Daily, who dared to question it.

Mark your calendar.

Plowboys Show Inexperience in Loss to Hawley

2011-09-07T10:19:00.002-05:00

Plowboy Matthew Cuellar runs for good yardage against Hawley.

The Roscoe Plowboys kicked off this year’s Sammy BaughClassic in Sweetwater with a game in Mustang Bowl on Thursday against the 2AHawley Bearcats, a team they had always beaten in the past.

The Plowboys played hard and at times showed promise, buttheir inexperience on offense was evident as they fumbled nine times and lostsix, while on defense their tackling suffered all evening from failure to wrapup ball carriers when they had them in their grasp.

No team can win when they exhibit repeated shortcomingsin those two aspects of the game, and the Plowboys were no exception, losing bya final score of 45-7.

Hawley scored first on a 31-yard run by Keagan Fernandez togo up 7-0, but the Plowboys came right back with a long drive to the Hawleyten-yard line before turning the ball over on a fumble.

Then, in the second quarter, Plowboy back LukeRovig broke free for a 79-yard touchdown run, followed by an Eric Padilla extrapoint, and the score was tied 7-7. Tothat point, the Plowboys looked every bit the equal of the Bearcats, and thegame portended to be a good one.

Unfortunately, that proved to be the high point of theevening for the Plowboys as Hawley responded with a couple of touchdowns, aidedby Plowboy fumbles and poor tackling, and by halftime Hawley was up 21-7.

The second half was not a pretty sight with repeated Plowboyfumbles followed by Hawley scores. The Bearcatsscored three touchdowns in the third quarter and another one in thefourth. In the process, they rolled up455 rushing yards for the night.

Life doesn’t get any easier for the Plowboys as they travelthis Friday to play the Stamford Bulldogs, one of the most powerful Class Ateams in this area with a 2-0 record and victories over Munday 47-21 and Anson48-0.

--o--

APPLICATION PERIOD FOR STATE-SUPPORTED HOME CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON FRIDAY

As the Hard Times reported back in May, the City of Roscoehas received funding through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairsto administer a program offering financial support to low-income homeowners whofulfill certain conditions for building new homes in Roscoe.

In brief, the award provides up to five homeowners up toaround $80,000 each to tear down their old, substandard home and replace itwith a new one, provided the new home is the owner’s primary residence andother conditions are met. The stateprovides the financing and the owners pay back what their income allows.

The application period for involvement in the program beginson Friday, September 9, and ends on October 9 with applications available forpick up at the Roscoe City Hall.

The City will host a public hearing and application workshopnext Thursday, September 15, from 4:00-6:00pm at the City Hall. All homeowners interested in applying for theprogram are encouraged to attend the workshop, which will provide programinformation and assist with completing the application materials.

Financial assistance will be granted to the first fivehouseholds to (1) complete and return the application information, (2) provideall requested information to verify eligibility, (3) meet all eligibilityrequirements, and (4) agree to participate in the program.

Special advance arrangements can be made for persons withspecial needs or for persons needing alternative times or locations by callingCity Secretary Donna Parker at 325-766-3871.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

The end of last week was more of the same old weather we've been getting all summer--highs over 100° and lows around 79° or 80°. But then on Sunday a norther rolled in and since then has amazingly dropped lows down into the low sixties and high fifties and highs into the low and mid eighties. It is only 68°F as I write this. The forecast for next week is for steady warming, but highs are still projected only to be in the low nineties.

Perhaps fall is coming after all. Now, if we could just get some rain . . . .

Down Memory Lane: Money Then and Now

2011-08-31T09:59:00.000-05:00


Shields Grocery ad from a 1959 Roscoe Times.

One thing we’ve all experienced in our lives is the way money and our relationship to it has changed over the years. In general, I’d say that the current generation is growing up with a silver spoon in its mouth compared to the way things were fifty years ago—but of course back then we all grew up hearing stories about how we were the ones who were spoiled because we’d never gone through the hard times of the depression.

With that said, it goes without saying that today’s dollar, which is not even worth as much as a Canadian dollar, has nowhere near the value it had back then. Like many other Roscoe boys, the first paying job I ever had was folding papers for George Parks at the Roscoe Times on Thursday afternoons. The pay was seventy-five cents for about two hours’ work, and to a boy in those days, it seemed like a princely sum.

I would keep a quarter and put the rest in the Boys Club bank to use for trips or other Boys Club expenses like shotgun shells during dove season. That quarter I kept would usually last me through the weekend, being spent on such frivolities as baseball cards, balsawood gliders from Arant’s Variety Store, or ice cream cones from Haney’s Rexall Drugs. Baseball cards were a nickel a pack, the gliders were a dime apiece, and ice cream cones were a nickel for a single dip and a dime for a double.

When I was eleven, my financial status jumped considerably when I got a regular job at the Times Office, working every day after school, and eight to twelve on Saturdays. George paid me four dollars a week for the first month I worked there, and then he kicked it up to five after that. From that point on, I considered myself wealthy, and I was, compared to most of my classmates, who were typically broke and had money only on occasion. I always kept at least a quarter in my pocket, and when I think today about how having a quarter in my pocket back then could change my whole outlook on life, I have to laugh.

But a dollar back then was a lot more money than a dollar is now. In very general terms, a modern dollar is worth maybe a 1960 dime—if that. In the fifties a cup of coffee went from a nickel to a dime, and then about 1960 or so, fancy places started charging twenty cents, and I can remember listening to adults saying that they’d quit drinking coffee before they’d pay twenty cents for a cup—and this was in the day of unlimited free refills. Today, if you can get a single cup for $1.50, you’re lucky.

Hamburgers at Haney’s Drug Store were 25¢, cheeseburgers were 30¢, potato chips on the side were another 5¢, and a cherry coke to drink with it was either a nickel or a dime, depending on the size you got. And you didn’t have to go to the counter to make your order or to pick it up when your number was called. You were served by a smiling waitress who brought you a glass of ice water before you ordered.

At the Joy Theater, if I remember correctly, admission was 14¢ for kids and 35¢ for twelve and older. A small paper bagful of popcorn was a nickel, and so was most of the candy they sold there: Big Hunks, Sugar Daddies, Snickers, and Baby Ruths. Compare that with today’s movie prices in cities, which are something like $8 or $9 for a ticket, $7 for popcorn, and $5 to $7 for a Pepsi, depending on what size you get.

Back then, a dollar’s worth of gas was a standard amount at Chubby and Mac’s or Pat Vines’ or Hugo Zetzman’s service station, and in addition to about four gallons of gas, that dollar got you a clean windshield, an oil check, and air in your tires, if they needed them, from an eager attendant.

Who knows what a dollar will be worth fifty years from now? If we use the change in the dollar over the past fifty years as a guide, we can project that people will be paying something like $35 or $40 for a cup of coffee and something over $1000 to take the family out for a meal at a nice restaurant for which the tip to the waitress will be $150 or so. A decent job will pay half a million a year and God only knows what college tuition will cost.

Compare those figures with the old stories many of us have heard about the depression—how a hamburger was a nickel or how men worked hard labor jobs for a dollar a day and felt that they were lucky to get it.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

While hurricane Irene flooded the entire east coast, Roscoe and the rest of west Texas experienced yet another week of hot, dry weather. The past three days here have each had a maximum temperature of 105°F, and today’s forecast is for a high of 103°. On Monday, after a sunny high of 105°, the skies clouded over about three o’clock, but the temperature dropped only to 102° for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe I’ve been gone from west Texas too long, but I can’t remember ever being in cloudy weather when the temperature was that high.

The high for the rest of the week is supposed to drop down into the double digits, 98° or so, but there is still no serious chance of precipitation in the forecast.

David Pantoja to Open Tire Store Downtown

2011-08-24T10:01:00.002-05:00

Preparations are underway to open another new business downtown, this one by David Pantoja. The VP Tire Service will be located on 702 East Broadway in the building where Jesse Faust’s Garage was located for many years.

The VP Tire Service will sell both new and used tires, do general maintenance such as oil changes, flats, and brakes, and make minor repairs. There are also plans to have a service truck.

For a while now, the business has been open on Saturdays and by appointment, but after the grand opening, it will be open six days a week. The exact times are not yet certain, but they will be something like 7:30am-5:30pm Monday through Friday and 8:00am-2:00pm on Saturday.

The grand opening is tentatively set for Labor Day weekend with refreshments for all. For more information, contact David Pantoja at 325-280-1917.

--o--

PLOWBOYS MAKE READY FOR OPENING GAME AGAINST ALBANY

The Roscoe Plowboys prepared for the upcoming football season with a scrimmage against the Grape Creek Eagles at Plowboy Field on Thursday evening. They looked sharp on both sides of the ball and after all the hard work of football camp, appear to be ready to go.

The 2011 schedule is unusual in that the Plowboys will open the season with four away games. They won’t play at Plowboy Field until they face Munday on September 23.

One of the toughest games of the season will be the one they play this Friday night against the Albany Lions in Albany. A perennial powerhouse, the Lions are ranked ninth in the state in Division I of Class A.

Roscoe Plowboys 2011 Football Schedule:

     Aug. 26    Albany
     Sept. 1       Hawley
     Sept. 9       Stamford
     Sept. 16    Merkel
     Sept. 23    MUNDAY
     Oct. 7        HAMLIN*
     Oct. 14      Roby*
     Oct. 21    CROSBYTON*
     Oct. 28      RALLS*
     Nov. 4       Rotan*

Home games in all caps; * denotes district games.

--o--

PLANS MADE TO BEAUTIFY DOWNTOWN PARK

At the B (Community Improvement) Board meeting last week, the City of Roscoe solidified plans to improve the little downtown park across the street from the Roscoe State Bank on Cypress Street .

MasterScapes of Abilene will be involved in the landscape design and placement of trees, seating, and pedestrian walkways. This is the same company that previously worked with the City on the Veterans’ Memorial Park downtown.

Funding was also approved for the construction of a seven to eight foot tall brick wall running from the southeast corner of the park along Cypress to 2nd Street and another one running from the southeast corner all the way back to the alley between Cypress and Bois d’Arc Streets.

Plans were also discussed for the painting of a mural on the store wall facing the Veteran’s Memorial Park on the corner of Cypress and Broadway.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

Roscoe had another week of consistently hot, dry, and sunny weather with few clouds. Winds were from the south or southeast at 5 to 15 mph. High temperatures were 100°-103° and lows were 77°-80°. The forecast for the coming week is for more of the same with little possibility of precipitation.

--o--

ISABEL MENDEZ LUEVANOS

Funeral services for Isabel Luevanos, 67, were held on Saturday at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Sweetwater and followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery. She died at home on Thursday.

Born November 6, 1943, in Karnes City, she was married to Eusebio Luevanos and had lived in Nolan County since 1980. Survivors include her husband; daughters Patricia Rangel, Mary Gutierrez, and Isabel Velesques of Sweetwater, Gloria Chavez of Roscoe, and Irene Chavez of Edinburg; sons Danny Chavez of Lubbock, David Chavez of Abilene, Ramon Chavez and Andy Chavez of Sweetwater, and Mike Chavez of Roscoe; a grandson Harvey Flores of Roscoe; 20 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

New Business to Open Downtown

2011-08-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

Site of new stores opening soon.

Roscoe will soon have a new feed and seed store across the street from the Lumberyard, where the Ag Center is currently located.

Owned by Bruce McGlothlin and Chuck Harvey, it will be operated at least initially by Chuck Harvey. They plan to be open for business sometime in mid-September.

McGlothlin and Harvey also intend to open a general store next door, where they will sell hardware and other items. It will be where Dandy Fence was formerly located. They expect to have it up and running by the end of the year.

This is good news for downtown Roscoe, and we wish them all the best in their endeavor.

--o--

RAIN LAST WEEK? IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU’RE ASKING ABOUT

Roscoe witnessed a spectacular display of thunder and lightning last Friday night, but rainfall on Friday night and Saturday morning was scattered, and the amount received depended on the location.

Lyndall Underwood’s weather station on the west end of Roscoe got nothing, and at my house in the middle of town there was only a trace, enough to get the sidewalk wet, but no more than that. Kenny Landfried, on the east side of town, registered .4”.

On the other hand, at Scott Etheredge’s house a couple of miles northwest of town, it rained an inch and a half, and two miles west of him the Wiman place got 2.7”. Brownlee School received 1.3”, and two inches fell at Pyron.

On Saturday, the high temperature for the day was only 90°F, the lowest maximum recorded for at least a couple of months. Since then, however, temperatures have returned to this summer’s normals of 100° or better for the high and high 70°s for the low, with the forecast for the coming week being more of the same.

--o--

PLOWBOYS TO SCRIMMAGE GRAPE CREEK HERE TOMORROW EVENING

The Roscoe Plowboys will continue preparations for the upcoming football season tomorrow (Thursday, August 18) at 6:00pm when they scrimmage the Grape Creek Eagles, a 2A school in the same district as Colorado City and Kermit. The Plowboys scrimmaged with Haskell at Haskell last Saturday.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine, recognized as the authoritative source for Texas high school football for the last fifty years, predicts the Plowboys to finish fourth in District 7-A, DII, this year. Here is their predicted district outcome for 2011:

     1.    Hamlin
     2.    Crosbyton
     3.    Ralls
     4.    Roscoe
     5.    Roby
     6.    Rotan

Here’s what they have to say about the Plowboys:

Coach: Jonathan Haseloff. Lettermen R/L: 4/12. Starters returning O/D 3/3. 2010: 4-7, bi-district finalist, 3-2 district.
Players to watch: OL/DE Devon Freeman (5-11, 182), C/NG Corey Hatcher (5-11, 240). Top junior TE Landon Jones (5-11, 180, 5.0). Other prospects: RB/LB Eric Padilla, TE/DE Matthew Cuellar, WR/DB John Hermosillo.

The Plowboys play their first game of the year against the Albany Lions in Albany next Friday, August 26. They will have their work cut out for them as Albany is ranked ninth in state in Class A, Division 1.

--o--

MIKE CONAWAY HOLDS TOWN HALL MEETING IN COMMUNITY CENTER

U. S. Representative Mike Conaway (R) addressed Roscoans at the Community Center last Wednesday afternoon. Introduced by Larry Williams, he discussed several topics, including the debt ceiling controversy and the upcoming presidential race. He predictably espoused current Republican positions on all points and said he would support Texas Governor Rick Perry for President.

--o--

BRAND RE-REGISTRATION PERIOD APPROACHES

The Nolan County Clerk's Office reminds all ranchers and farmers that every ten years Texas requires brands and marks to be re-registered. Re-registration begins August 31 and concludes February 29. The cost is $16 per location.

For additional information, phone the Clerk's Office at 325-235-2462 during business hours.

Game Room Opens Downtown

2011-08-10T09:52:00.002-05:00

Roscoe’s newest business is the Reel Deal Game Room, which opened for business last Wednesday. Located near the corner of Broadway and Main Streets where Doc Daily’s office used to be, it is run by Ollie Monroe and Lori Falcon.

Hours of operation are from noon to midnight Monday through Thursday, noon to whenever on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2pm to midnight on Sundays.

Patrons play for tickets that can be redeemed at the Lumberyard, Dandy Western Wear, Doris’s Sweet Shop, and the Check Mart convenience store on Lamar in Sweetwater. Gift cards for Stripes, Wal-Mart, and the Sweetwater Subway are also offered when available.

--o--

CONSTRUCTION DATE SET FOR WATER TREATMENT PLANT

At the City Council meeting last night, City Manager Cody Thompson announced that construction of Roscoe’s new reverse-osmosis water treatment plant is now scheduled to begin next May or June and be completed six or seven months later.

Before construction begins, invitations for bids must be issued, applications must be reviewed, a pilot study must be done and approved by the state, equipment must be procured, and other steps must be carried out.

When completed, the plant will convert Roscoe’s water, which is currently six times harder than normal, to pure water, free of the unwanted minerals it now contains.

--o--

CITY STREET PAVING UNDERWAY

City and County workers have begun paving several Roscoe streets and will be busy this week and next laying down seal coating. The City provides the materials while the County provides workers and equipment.

Last week they repaved a large part of the old highway between Roscoe and Sweetwater, and yesterday they laid down a new coat of asphalt and gravel on Pecan Street. Still to come is work on portions of Elm, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Streets.

--o--

HEAT AND DROUGHT CONTINUE

The weather for the past week was once again sunny, hot, and dry, as it has been all summer. High temperatures ran from 101° to 105°F and lows were around 79° or 80°F. The forecast for the foreseeable future calls for more of the same.

--o--

NEW ROSCOE POLICE OFFICER INTRODUCED

At last night’s City Council meeting, Roscoe Police Chief Felix Pantoja introduced new city officer Bill Hack to the Mayor and Council. Officer Hack is currently also the security officer for TSTC.

Highland Tops Rankings of Nolan County Schools

2011-08-03T09:53:00.000-05:00


Roscoe Collegiate High School received a Recognized ranking.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released its school accountability ratings for 2011 and rated Highland School as Exemplary, the highest possible rating. Roscoe High School was close behind with a Recognized rating, the second highest.

Roscoe Elementary received an Academically Acceptable rating but came within a single percentage point in one category of maintaining its Recognized level of 2010.*

Here are the TEA ratings for Nolan County schools:

1. Exemplary – Highland School

2. Recognized
          Roscoe Collegiate High School
          Sweetwater Intermediate School
          Sweetwater East Ridge Elementary
          Sweetwater Southeast Elementary

3. Academically Acceptable
          Roscoe Elementary School
          Blackwell School
          Sweetwater Middle School

4. Academically Unacceptable – Sweetwater High School

Highland School and Roscoe High maintained their rankings from last year, but all the others dropped a level, primarily because of the new, tougher standards implemented this year.

Statewide, the number of Academically Unacceptable rankings increased by over 400% from 2010, while the number of Exemplary schools fell by over half.

Unfortunately, with the $4.8 billion cut in state education funding for the next two years, Texas schools will have a tough time just maintaining their current academic levels and an extra tough time in making any improvements.

For details, see the related article in Sunday’s Abilene Reporter-News by clicking here, and the complete TEA Accountability Report by clicking here.

*At least 15% of a school’s economically disadvantaged students had to make a Commended ranking (roughly equivalent to an A) on the test for the school to achieve a Recognized rating, and only 14% of Roscoe Elementary’s did.

--o--

PEARLAND WOMAN KILLED IN CAR ROLLOVER NEAR WASTELLA

Cynthia Walsh Holman, 52, from Pearland was killed when she lost control of her 2008 Chevrolet HHR on US 84 at 11:57am on Sunday. She was driving toward Roscoe when her vehicle reportedly went off the road into the median. She then overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll and wind up in a cotton field. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

--o--

HEAT AND DROUGHT CONTINUE

The weather remained relentlessly hot and dry as it has for months. High temperatures once again typically topped the 100° mark with the high for the week yesterday’s 105°F. Lows were in the high 70°s.

There was actually a little rainfall last Friday when an afternoon shower briefly passed through. Unfortunately, however, precipitation was minimal. Lyndall Underwood recorded three-hundredths of an inch on the western end of town while other locales got as much as a tenth of an inch—and still others nothing at all.

The forecast for the coming week calls for more hot, dry weather with clear skies and highs between 101° and 104°.

Construction Underway on New Railroad Siding

2011-07-27T09:44:00.004-05:00

Union Pacific crane and bulldozer at work a mile west of Roscoe.

If you regularly cross the railroad tracks on Business US 84 in downtown Roscoe, you may be tired of the frequent delays caused by stopped trains blocking traffic. If so, you may be happy to learn that the Union Pacific Railway is doing something to alleviate the problem by building a two-mile long siding just west of town. Trains will use the new siding to allow trains coming from the other direction to pass, making stops on the siding downtown unnecessary.

The Union Pacific’s long range plans are to create a double track all the way to El Paso over the next decade so that trains coming from opposite directions can freely pass one another without the delays caused by waiting on sidings.

--o--

NO BREAK IN THE HEAT AND DROUGHT

Roscoe endured another week of dry weather and hundred-degree temperatures as Abilene reported its 47th day this year with a high of 100°F or more, a new all-time record since records began being kept in 1888. San Angelo reported its 60th day, also a record—and we’ve still got several days left in July before even getting to August—so the old records will not be just broken, but shattered by the time summer is over.

This year will undoubtedly go down as the hottest on record not only in Abilene and San Angelo, but also in most, if not all, of Texas. I have unsuccessfully attempted to find out how many 100°+ days Roscoe has had this year but am confident that it, too, like other cities in this part of the state, is experiencing its hottest summer ever. Yesterday’s high of 104°F unfortunately seemed downright ordinary, and the forecast for the coming week is for more of the same.

Many forecasters are now saying that the only break from the current weather pattern may be the arrival of a hurricane on the Texas coast.

--o--

Channel One's Shelby Holliday interviews Cliff Etheredge.

ROSCOE WIND FARM TO BE FEATURED IN CHANNEL ONE NEWS DOCUMENTARY

The Roscoe Wind Farm is once again the subject of a national news documentary, this time for Channel One, which broadcasts news programming via satellite to middle schools and high schools throughout the United States. The documentary will be about alternative sources of energy in America and is due to be shown this fall.

The current issue (September 2011) of Cowboys & Indians magazine also has a nice article on the Roscoe wind farm along with several photos.

--o--

IRA POKER TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT OFFICER DARRELL CAMPBELL

A no-limit “Texas Hold ‘em” poker tournament will be held this Saturday, July 30, at 6:00pm in Fran Farmer’s barn at 11014 Farmer’s Lane in Ira, to benefit wounded officer Darrell Campbell of the Snyder Police Force and formerly a Roscoe policeman.

Buy-ins are $50 with re-buys allowed, and late buy-ins will be allowed until 7:00pm. All buy-ins go to the Darrell Campbell Fund. Payouts will be $1000 for First Place and $500 for Second Place (donated funds). Players of all levels are welcome. The environment will be learner friendly, and soft drinks will be available.

As previously reported in the Hard Times, Officer Campbell was shot in the head while answering a domestic disturbance call in Snyder on July 12. He is currently recovering at University Medical Center in Lubbock and making progress daily but needs continuous non-stop support from his family.

The goal of the poker tournament is to raise as much money as possible to ease the burden on the Campbell family and to have fun while doing it. For more information, contact the event coordinator, Corey Chester, at 325-574-0077, or send e-mail to corey.chester@alexanderspest.com.

Despite Shower, Roscoe Rainfall in Record Territory

2011-07-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, it finally rained. It wasn’t much of a rain, but it was rain—real rain, wet stuff from the sky. Lyndall Underwood’s weather station on the west side of town recorded only .15 of an inch, hardly a gully washer, but you wouldn’t have known it from the excitement it caused around town.

I have a Facebook account, and a large percentage of my Facebook friends who live in Roscoe duly noted the unusual event in their status lines with announcements in all caps and/or multiple exclamation marks: “RAIN!” “It’s raining!!!!!!” and so on.

It’s hard to blame their enthusiasm. There’s been so little precipitation this year that all the dryland cotton crops in the area have already been condemned and are in line to receive crop insurance, ranchers are keeping the auction barns open past closing time trying to sell their cattle, and people who are keeping their livestock are having trouble finding hay since grazing has been so sparse this year. And the dry weather has been the cause of more destructive wildfires this spring than anyone can remember.

The Abilene Reporter-News recently reported that this June was the hottest one on record, and a couple of weeks ago a New York Times article mentioned that since last October the state of Texas has experienced its driest nine-month stretch ever.

All this talk of records made me wonder just how this year in Roscoe measures up to others from the past, so I contacted Roscoe’s official record keeper for rainfall, Kenny Landfried, and asked him if he could supply me with statistics about rainfall in Roscoe over the years. He was happy to do so, providing me with the monthly totals for the past 75 years.

Official record keeping for Roscoe dates back to 1936 when E. M. Cooper began recording all the rains that fell and totaling them up at the end of each month and year. He faithfully kept the books for the next forty years until his death in 1976. Then, his son-in-law Harold Haynes took over the job and held it until 1992 when he passed it on to Kenny Landfried, who’s been keeping the records ever since.

The statistics have their own story to tell, and since this past week has been pretty slow as regards newsworthy events, now is a good time to present some of the more interesting ones.

The complete monthly and annual rainfall totals for Roscoe from 1936 to the present are available for viewing, downloading, and printing by clicking here.

--o--

RAINFALL RECORDS FOR ROSCOE

Average Annual Rainfall 1936-2010 (75 years) – 22.15 inches

Most Yearly Rainfall:
    1. 1991 – 37.05 inches
    2. 1986 – 37.00 inches
    3. 1941 – 36.62 inches

Least Yearly Rainfall:
    1. 1998 – 9.35 inches
    2. 2003 – 10.86 inches
    3. 1956 – 10.89 inches

Most Monthly Rainfall:
    1. September 1980 – 17.62 inches
    2. August 1971 – 12.60 inches
    3. April 1957 – 11.62 inches

Most Rainfall in a 3-Month Stretch: April, May, June 1957 – 24.57 inches

Least Rainfall in a 3-Month Stretch: October, November, December 1950 – 0.00 inches

(The following month, January 1951, had .09 inch, making for a 4-month total of less than a tenth of an inch, also a record.)

Least Rainfall in a 6-Month Stretch: October 1950 through March 1951 – 1.29 inches

Least Rainfall in a 9-Month Stretch: October 2010 through June 2011 – 4.78 inches

Least Rainfall in a Year’s First 6 Months:
    1. 2011 – 2.62 inches
    2. 1984 – 2.68 inches
    3. 1952 – 4.52 inches
(Even with the official .18 inch recorded on Saturday, 2011 is still the driest year on record to this point, only 2.80 inches for the entire year.)

Former Roscoe Police Officer Shot in Snyder

2011-07-13T10:43:00.000-05:00

Former Roscoe police officer Darrell Campbell is in critical condition at University Medical Center in Lubbock after being shot in the head in Snyder about 12:30 early Tuesday morning.

He and fellow officer Lee Ortiz responded to a call of a domestic dispute in the 700 block of 26th Street and were talking to witnesses when a man produced a weapon and shot Campbell. Ortiz and the man then exchanged shots, and the man was killed. His name has not yet been disclosed, but he is reported to have a long criminal history.

Darrell Campbell was a police officer for the City of Roscoe in the 1990’s. After leaving Roscoe, he went on to work in Mitchell County before being hired by the Snyder Police Department.

--o--

ROSCOE FIRE DEPARTMENT HELPS FIGHT FIRES NEAR LAKE SWEETWATER

The Roscoe Fire Department has joined firefighting crews from Maryneal, Nolan, Lake Sweetwater, and Sweetwater to battle several blazes that broke out on Monday afternoon between Lake Sweetwater and Sweetwater. Texas Forestry Service helicopters and airplanes flying from Abilene also fought the fires.

Around 4000 acres have burned, and at one point on Monday afternoon several homes and businesses south of I-20 in Sweetwater were evacuated as the fire came close enough to threaten the city before being contained. Interstate 20 was also closed for a short time because of reduced visibility from smoke, and the area around the Walmart was closed from the east.

At last report the fires are over 40% contained but still burning. Other fires burned in Howard and Scurry Counties this week. It goes without saying that the area needs rain in the worst kind of way.

--o--

CITY COUNCIL TENTATIVELY APPROVES A GAME ROOM FOR ROSCOE

At last night’s meeting, the Roscoe City Council tentatively approved Ollie Monroe's request for the operation of a game room located in the old Doc Daily office at the corner of Main and Broadway.

City Attorney Zollie Steakley will draw up a contract in which the city receives a 5% cut of the gross revenue, and pending approval of the contract by both parties, the game room will begin operation.

--o--

UNPAVED PORTIONS OF 3RD, 4TH, 5TH, AND 6TH STREETS TO BE PAVED

The City Council also gave City Manager Cody Thompson the go-ahead to seal coat approximately a mile of city streets, namely the unpaved portions of 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Streets. The operation is scheduled to begin later this month or early next month and will cost the city approximately $12,000-$15,000.

--o--

DON GRAHAM RECEIVES APPRECIATION AWARD FROM CITY

At last night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Pete Porter presented former City Council member Don Graham with a plaque of appreciation recognizing his decade of service on the Council and to the City of Roscoe.

White Hat Fire Devastates Maryneal Area

2011-06-22T09:04:00.006-05:00

The White Hat Fire in southern Nolan County (Fire photos courtesy of Jeff Althof)

The latest fire to plague the area, known as the White Hat Fire from its origin on White Hat Ranch south of Maryneal, has destroyed at least twelve homes and burned more than 32,000 acres in southern Nolan County. A power substation and numerous power lines have also received heavy damage, and some wind turbines have lost transmission power.

The fire was first reported on Sunday evening at about 7:30pm and has moved north and east since. At one point both Maryneal and Blackwell were on standby to evacuate, but neither community had to do so, although several homes east of Maryneal did. The fire has since crossed both highway 70, the San Angelo highway, and highway 153, the Winters highway.

According to the Texas Forest Service, it is still not contained although fire crews are said to be making progress, and the wind is now blowing in a more favorable direction. Three task forces of bulldozers and fire engines have joined local fire departments in fighting the blaze, while Texas Forest Service air tankers drop chemical fire retardant.

Nolan County Commissioners have declared the county a disaster area and Governor Perry has approved the declaration. Other wildfires are also burning in the Big Country in areas around Haskell, Aspermont, and Throckmorton.

--o--

CITY PLANTS THREE NEW TREES DOWNTOWN

The City of Roscoe has planted three new live oak trees downtown on Cypress Street, one in front of the Roscoe Historical Museum, one next to the Roscoe State Bank, and one across the street next to the downtown park and Brooklynn’s Heavenly Treasures.

Along with the three other trees that the City planted last year, the downtown area is looking nicer—and greener than before. Live oaks were chosen for their slow growth and because they’re green year round. The roots are also unlikely to damage the sidewalks or street.

--o--

NO ROSCOE HARD TIMES FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

Don’t look for anything new on this blog for the next two weeks. It’s vacation time. On Saturday, I will fly from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to Norway to visit my brother Joe and his family in Lillesand for a few days before going off to Sweden to celebrate the wedding of my nephew Erik. Those festivities will take place on an island near the city of Göteborg, and it will be a treat to go there because I worked there all summer in 1963 and haven’t been back since 1968.

After Sweden, I will spend a week in Warsaw, Poland, visiting a former graduate student of mine as well as an old friend who is a professor at the University of Warsaw. I’m not sure yet if he wants me to teach one of his classes, but I do know I’ll at least be visiting it. I will return to Texas on July 11.

--o--

ROSCOE ENDURES ANOTHER SCORCHING WEEK OF DRY WEATHER

Roscoe finally got a much needed break yesterday when the high temperature for the day was only 96°F. It was the first time in almost two weeks that the high hadn’t been over 100°F. Highs for the past week as recorded by Lyndall Underwood’s weather station are as follows:

June 14 – 105°
June 15 – 103°
June 16 – 104°
June 17 – 108°
June 18 – 107°
June 19 – 106°
June 20 – 103°
June 21 – 96°

Today’s forecast is for a high of 98°, but the rest of the week should once again see temperatures back above the century mark.

The area continues to be bone dry. Concerning the need for rain in these parts, the Sunday New York Times ran an article about the scarcity of water in the Colorado River which mentions that the current drought is “drier than any other October-through-May stretch in Texas history.”

--o--

CATARINO “PAPA” GALVAN

Catarino Galvan, 82, died last Wednesday in Lubbock, and the funeral was on Saturday at the First United Methodist Church in Roscoe with Billy Joe Jay officiating.

Born February 13, 1929, in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, he married Maria Luisa Rodriguez on June 5, 1955 in San Diego, Texas. A farmer, he lived in Roscoe for forty years and attended the Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Maria Luisa, daughters Juanita Garcia and husband Daniel of Roscoe, Gracie Garza and husband Luis of Edinburg, Mari Cornett and husband Benny of Roscoe, Patty Hamilton and husband Lance of Fort Worth, and son Jose Galvan and wife Maria of Roscoe; as well as 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Roscoe Wind Farm in International News

2011-06-15T09:00:00.003-05:00

An aerial view of the wind farm northwest of Roscoe.

The Roscoe Wind Farm continues to be an international news item. It was in the national news once again this past week with mention in a June 7 New York Times article entitled, “The Gas is Greener,” written by Robert Bryce.

Unfortunately, the article was apparently written with an agenda, namely, to promote gas production at the expense of renewable energy sources. In it, the author falsely leads readers to assume that the placement of wind turbines on a farm automatically makes the farm permanently unusable for anything else, such as raising cotton or livestock. He also wrongly claims that the noise from the turbines drives the people off the property.

While most local folks have nothing against the tapping of the nation’s vast gas reserves, to promote the process by misstating the facts about wind energy is unfair, to say the least. (To read the article, click here.)

The Roscoe Wind Farm gets more positive treatment in a well-written and well-photographed article scheduled to appear in the September issue of Cowboys & Indians, a magazine which bills itself as “The Premier Magazine of the West.” As other media have done, the article tells the story of Cliff Etheredge’s successful quest to bring wind energy to the Roscoe area. In doing so, it quotes my mention of the positive effect that tax revenues from the wind farms have had on the local school, and, in passing, it also has some nice things to say about Roscoe’s downtown restaurant, the Lumberyard.

In addition, the Roscoe Wind Farm is still attracting global interest. On Thursday, Cliff Etheredge was visited by a team of four Japanese, two men and two women, who interviewed him for an upcoming documentary for Japanese Public Television about the effects of deregulation on the wind industry in the United States.

And that’s not all. Etheredge is also in touch with a Canadian group from Toronto making a show about the benefits of wind farms. He is also working with a Dallas company on a video for the Texas Workforce Commission about employment opportunities in the wind industry.

--o--

The Camp Boothe Oaks Fire as seen from the Maryneal Highway on Friday afternoon.

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE LAKE TRAMMELL WILDFIRE

Several local volunteer fire departments, including those from Roscoe, Maryneal, Lake Sweetwater, and Nolan joined the Texas Forest Service and the Sweetwater Fire Department in battling a wildfire that burned southeast of Roscoe on Friday and Saturday.

Dubbed the Camp Boothe Oaks Fire, it started early Friday afternoon when Ralph Lynch set fire to a deer carcass near a barn next to County Road 145 just south of Lake Trammell. From there strong south winds carried the fire northward.

Some 500 acres burned, and the Sweetwater Fire Department reportedly lost a truck during the operation. Texas Forest Service helicopters drew water from Lake Trammell, and bulldozers joined fire trucks in battling the blaze. Lynch was ticketed for starting a fire during a burn ban.

--o--

AREA CONTINUES TO BAKE UNDER SUMMER SUN

If nothing else, temperatures around Roscoe have been consistent over the last couple of weeks. Highs in the 99°-105°F range and lows in the low seventies have been accompanied by clear, sunny skies with south and southwest winds 15 to 25mph.

Sunday’s high was 102°, Monday’s 104°, and yesterday’s 105°. Today's is forecast at 103° and tomorrow's 105°. Precipitation of any kind has been noticeably and depressingly absent. Unfortunately, the forecast for the coming week is for more of the same with sunny, windy days and afternoon highs of 101°-105°F.

--o--

CITY TO BUY DOWNTOWN LOT ACROSS FROM CITY HALL

At last night’s meeting, the City Council unanimously approved the purchase of the Huffmeyer property, i.e., the lot now used as a downtown park across the street from the City Hall, where the Roscoe Times office used to stand.

Plans Set for Independence Day Celebration

2011-06-08T09:27:00.002-05:00

At its meeting last Thursday, the City Entertainment Committee approved the overall plan for Roscoe’s Independence Day celebration on Saturday, July 2. This year’s event has something for everybody and promises to be a great way to commemorate the July 4th weekend. Whether you’re planning to participate or just to attend, check out the categories below to learn more about details of the day’s events.

THE INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE

Festivities begin at 10:00am with a parade in downtown Roscoe. Those participating need to be present by 9:30 for the lineup and judging. Prizes will be awarded for best entries in these categories: antique cars, bicycles, motorcycles, and semi-trucks, along with three prizes for floats—patriotic, western, and overall. For more information, contact parade director Valerie Pruitt at 325-338-4666.

VENDORS AND KIDS’ AREA

Food and craft vendors will be open for business in the downtown area starting at 10:00am, and the kids’ area with bounce houses and other inflatables should also be ready by then. If you plan to be a vendor, contact Kelly Etheredge at 325-725-0756.

OPEN-MIKE ON THE MUSIC STAGE

Starting at noon, there will be a karaoke-style open mike setup on the music stage in front of the Roscoe State Bank, so if you’ve been yearning to be discovered as a singer, consider this your chance to be a star and receive some well-deserved accolades from an adoring crowd.

FREE SWIMMING AT CITY POOL

Once again, swimming will be free at the Roscoe Swimming Pool at City Park from 1:00-5:00pm. For more information call Andy Wilson or Lus Pantoja at 325-766-2352.

THE PLOWBOY MUDBOG

Plowboy Mudbog competition will begin at 1:00pm at George Parks Field on Second and Sycamore Streets and go until finished at around 4:30 or 5:00. The mud track, just beyond right field of the baseball park, will be 200 feet long and go from two-feet deep to four-feet deep in good ol’ squishy Roscoe blackland mud. Winners are those who go the farthest before coming to a halt. Competitors from as far away as Hobbs, New Mexico, are expected to participate.

Registration for participants begins at 11:00am. Vehicles will be divided into the following categories: Street (under 33” tires), Super Street (33”-35”), Modified (36”-39”), and Open (40” and over). Registration fee is $25 per entry, with winners of each class taking the fees as prize money.

Admission for spectators will be $2 for ages 8-13 and $5 for ages 14 and over. All proceeds go to benefit the Roscoe Little League baseball program.

For more information, contact Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384 or David Pantoja at 325-280-1917.

LIVE MUSIC AND STREET DANCE “ON THE BRICKS”

Live music will begin on the stage in the street next to the Roscoe State Bank at around 6:00 with Lawless Flatz, a popular country/rock band from Roby that has developed a large following in this area. They will play until about 8:00.

They will be followed by the headline band of the evening, the Austin Allsup Band, a high energy group from Austin that plays a blend of country and rock. For more information, click here. They will play until 9:00 or so and then break for the fireworks show. Afterwards, the band will return to the stage for a final set of about a half-hour.

FIREWORKS SHOW

Robert McBride will again put on one of his memorable fireworks extravaganzas. This one should be especially welcome since the planned fireworks show for the Spring Fling had to be cancelled due to the fire hazard it presented at the time. The fireworks will last for about a half hour starting as soon as it gets dark, around 9:15 or so.

For information about aspects of the celebration not covered above, contact City Hall at 325-766-3871.

--o--

NO RELIEF IN SIGHT FOR WEATHER

West Texas went through yet another week of hot, sunny and dry weather with temperatures typically topping out around 100°F in the afternoons with lows at night in the seventies. Winds were out of the south or southwest at 15 to 30 miles per hour, and forecasts for the coming week call for more of the same. Farmers have been dry planting in the fields, and gardeners have been running up their water bills just to keep their plants alive. The area needs rain in the worst kind of way, but none is in sight.