Spring Clean-Up Begins Saturday

Dumpsters will be just east of the City Shop on 3rd and Laurel.

Roscoe’s annual Spring Clean-Up begins this Saturday, March 25, and will run through next Friday, March 31. This year it is being held next to the City Shop at 3rd and Laurel Streets, near the baseball field. Hours of operation are 8:00am to 7:00pm.

There will be three large dumpsters just east of the City Shop, two for all debris and one for tires. Items which may not be placed in containers are as follows: paint, oil, oil filters, chemical containers, and tree limbs.  Air conditioners and refrigerators must be tagged land-fill acceptable.  There is no curb service, and since the Spring Clean-Up is for Roscoe residents only, anyone dropping off anything must be prepared to show a City of Roscoe water bill or other proof of Roscoe residency.

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

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INJUN ROBERT SAYS 2017 CROP OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD

The dawn wind was from the southwest.

As he has in years past, “Injun Robert” McBride performed the “Sunrise Wind” ceremony at dawn yesterday morning, March 21, the first day after the beginning of Spring, and saw a brisk southwest breeze blow the smoke of his fire to the northeast. According to the ancient lore of the Plains Indians, that outcome foretells a below-average crop for this year.

Those unfamiliar with the ritual may appreciate some background information to understand its import. Known in the Comanche language as Taba’na Yuan’e, or “Sunrise Wind” ceremony, it was a traditional practice of the Plains Indians long before the white man came. It was observed around 1881 by a Mr. Crim, who oversaw the mule teams used in building the T&P railway across west Texas. While in the Van Horn area on the morning of March 22, he noticed puffs of smoke coming from all the Indian huts in sight. He asked what was going on and was told that the Indians were seeing what kinds of crops they would have that year by building a fire just before dawn and then, as the sun appeared, observing which direction the wind blew the smoke.  This was always done on the morning after the first day of spring.

According to legend, an east or northeast wind meant a "very good” year, north or northwest "average," west or southwest "poor," and south or southeast "very bad.”

In the early 1970s George Parks, editor of the Roscoe Times, learned of the ceremony, which was still being performed annually in Muleshoe by old Mr. Crim’s son, referred to by the locals there as “Injun John.” “Injun George” learned the particulars from “Injun John” and replicated them here for many years until shortly before his journey to the happy hunting grounds in 1983. In addition to observing the smoke, “Injun George” added a rain dance around the fire in hopes that it would lessen the effects of a bad forecast and increase those of a good one.

In 2012, “Injun Robert” revived the tradition, even adding a “rain turtle” in 2014, although he abandoned it for 2015 since it didn’t seem to help. As with “Injun George” before him, his predictions have been mostly but not always accurate. Here’s his record so far with the annual number of bales ginned at the Central Rolling Plains Co-op used as his measure of success. (Since the gin’s opening in 2007, the Co-op has ginned an annual average of 62,172 bales.)

            Year         Wind            Prediction      Bales Ginned
            2012     Northwest        Average           66,985
            2013     Southwest        Poor                 71,849
            2014     Southwest        Poor                 32,274
            2015     Northwest        Average           75,636
            2016     Southwest        Poor                 87,827
            2017     Southwest        Poor                    ?

A look at the predictions reveals a couple of anomalies, one in 2013 and the other this past year, 2016. In both, a southwest wind portended a poor crop. But the 71,849 bales in 2013 at worst would have to be classed “average,” and almost everyone would agree that last year’s 87,827 bales was in no way a “poor” year.

It's enough to make one wonder how accurate the Indians were with their predictions. We’ll just have to wait and see how this year turns out. Let’s hope it’s wrong again!

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ROSCOE DEBATERS BREAK EVEN IN UIL STATE FINALS

RCHS debaters Alfonso Islas and Josh Stegge

Roscoe Collegiate High School’s debate team of sophomores Josh Stegge and Alfonso Islas, who won the District Championship back in January, didn’t win state last week in Austin, but they did do well enough to break even in their matches with other state finalists, winning two matches and losing two.

They beat Thorndale and Crawford and lost to Centerville and Malakoff Cross Roads—not bad for a couple of sophomores in Roscoe’s first year of debate competition. I think we can call that a win.

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RCHS ONE-ACT PLAY TEAM, A TOP DISTRICT FINISHER, MOVES ON TO BI-DISTRICT

Roscoe's One-Act Play team.

At the UIL District meet in Anson on Wednesday, March 8, the RCHS One-Act Play team was one of the top three finishers, which qualifies them to move on to the Bi-District competition at Irion County High School tomorrow. The schools in district competition were Albany, Anson, Hamlin, Haskell, Hawley, Roscoe, and Stamford, and the other two teams to advance are Haskell and Stamford.

Roscoe students received these individual honors:

Best Actor Award – Caleb Ward
All-Star Cast Award – Jovana Pena
Technical Crew Award – Johnny Cuellar

The name of the play is “Wait Until Dark” by Frederick Knott.

Cast members include Braiden Moore, Nolan Reeves, Caleb Ward, Jovana Pena, Parker Payne, Jaci Alexander, Christian Acuna, Arthur Pope, and Bonnie Wilkinson. Crew members are Jose Chavira, Johnny Cuellar, and Lyndi Wilkinson. Director is Gay-Lynn Moses, and Co-Director is Vanessa Galvan.

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JODEY ARRINGTON & SID MILLER TO MEET & GREET AT THE LUMBERYARD APRIL 10

Jodey Arrington                                          Sid Miller

U. S. Congressman Jodey Arrington and Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller will be in Roscoe at the Lumberyard on Monday, April 10, from 9am to 3pm to meet with area farmers, ranchers, and other interested citizens. They will discuss the upcoming farm bill and provide other information.

The event is being sponsored by Richard Kemp’s Farm & Ranch Report of KGLD.FM 106.9, "the Country Giant," in Abilene.

Everyone is invited, so come meet your Congressman and Commissioner of Agriculture.

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PLOWGIRL/PLOWBOY RESULTS FROM PIPER RELAYS

The Piper Relays in Hamlin on Saturday saw the participation of 29 schools: Abilene Christian, Albany, Aspermont, Borden County, Breckenridge, Bronte, Childress, Chillicothe, Clyde, Colorado City, Cross Plains, Hamlin, Hawley, Home School, Jayton, Knox City, Merkel, Munday, Rankin, Roby, Roscoe, Rotan, Santa Anna, Seymour, Shallowater, Snyder, Spur, Stamford, Water Valley.

Here are the results for Plowgirls and Plowboys who finished in the top six of their events:

Plowgirls

Event                           Place       Athlete                      Time/Distance
400 meter dash            2          Bonnie Wilkinson                  1:02.29
800 meter run              2          Lyndi Wilkinson                    2:34.21
4 x 100 m. relay            3          Plowgirls                                    52.63
4 x 400 m. relay           2          Plowgirls                                 4:23.02
Triple Jump                  2          Bonnie Wilkinson                  35’8½”

Plowboys

Triple Jump                   6          Micheal Wright                          39’

The Plowgirls and Plowboys will participate in the Badger Relays at Merkel tomorrow afternoon.

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HUGE CROWD EXPECTED FOR RANDY ROGERS AT LUMBERYARD SATURDAY, BRI BAGWELL FRIDAY

The Randy Rogers Band.

The Randy Rogers Band will be in town Saturday night for the Lumberyard’s first big show of the spring. The popular appeal of the band is evident not only in the size of the crowds at their live performances, but also in the success of their albums.

Since 2008, they have released four studio albums, and all four have made it to the top five on the US country charts: The Randy Rogers Band (2008), Burning the Day (2010), Trouble (2013), and Nothing Shines Like Neon (2016).  Their live album Homemade Tamales – Live at Floore’s (2014) reached number eleven and the band has also also produced two other CDs with Wade Bowen, Hold My Beer, Vol. 1 (2015) and Watch This (2016), the first peaking at number 4.

Top singles include “Too Late for Goodbye,” “In My Arms Instead,” “One More Sad Song,” “Kiss Me in the Dark,” “One More Goodbye,” “Satellite,” and “Neon Blues.” (Click title to watch video.)

For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

Bri Bagwell.

Texas Country singer and songwriter Bri Bagwell will be at the Lumberyard Friday night as she makes up for missing a show earlier this year.

Born and raised in Las Cruces, NM, she has been singing since childhood, originally performing with her twin brothers.  She now travels the Texas honky-tonk circuit. She has been to Nashville and hopes to become country music’s next superstar. Her musical influences include Miranda Lambert, Patty Griffin, and Johnny Cash. This video features her singing her single “Whiskey.”

For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: WINDY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM

Yesterday's front moves through.

It was a typical week for March in west Texas as regards the wind. That is to say, it was windy every day with southerly winds of anywhere from 10 to 25mph with gusts up into the thirties on most days. Temperatures, on the other hand, were much warmer than average for the last official week of winter. Since Thursday, the highs have been in the eighties, and on Monday and yesterday they were 90°F and 91° respectively, some twenty degrees above the norm. Lows were within a degree or two of sixty during the same six-day stretch.

Yesterday afternoon we got a break from the heat when a cool front moved through around six o’clock. First it clouded over and in just a short while there was lightning and thunder, the first we’ve heard in about a month. Then we actually got some precipitation. It wasn’t a lot—my rain gauge measured .06”, which means it did little more than get the sidewalk wet—but it was nice while it lasted since it’s the first we’ve had all month. It also caused the temperature to drop about 15 degrees, and the cooler breeze felt nice.

Today will be a little cooler than the past few days, but it will still top out at about 85°. Tomorrow’s high will be only about 80°, Friday’s 73°, and Saturday’s 79° before returning to the eighties for Sunday and the beginning of next week. There is a 60% chance of rain currently forecast for next Wednesday, but nothing more than 10% between now and then.

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