Big Rain Breaks Long Dry Spell

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.

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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.  

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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.

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† 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.