Charley Pride, Tuff Trucks Make Spring Super Saturday a Success

Charley Pride at the Lumberyard Saturday night.

Finding a parking space anywhere close to the Lumberyard was not an easy feat Saturday night as folks from all over the Big Country were in town to see country music great Charley Pride. And he and his band put on a show that pleased just about everyone who witnessed it. He performed with an energy seldom seen in octogenarians, and many in the crowd joined him in singing some of his legendary hits.

The weather cooperated with temperatures in the mid-seventies at show time, and the crowd of over 2000 was one of the largest ever to attend a concert at the Lumberyard. Many got to meet the man at a “meet & greet” before the show, and he was friendly and gracious to all who did.

Part of the crowd at the Lumberyard Saturday night. (Photo by Sheree Herd)

Here is a video with some of the songs he sang and has long been known for:



Earlier in the day, shoppers hit many of Roscoe’s retail outlets or visited the Roscoe Historical Museum before witnessing the Tuff Truck competition and Crash-Up Derby just north of the railroad tracks. It was the first time in Roscoe for either event, and, like the Charley Pride show, was also enjoyed by all who watched it. There was no shortage of action, and many vehicles went out of commission in both events, including the overturning of the entry of the Roscoe Police Department, driven by no other than Roscoe’s Police Chief, Felix Pantoja, who managed to escape unscathed. The Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department was the beneficiary of the proceeds, which amounted to almost $900.

Driver James Pantoja in the Tuff Truck race.

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JODEY ARRINGTON, SID MILLER SPEAK AT LUMBERYARD

U. S. Rep. Jodey Arrington at the Lumberyard Monday.

A crowd of about 70 was on hand Monday morning in the Lumberyard to hear U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington and Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller speak about the current situation regarding cotton and beef.

Rep. Arrington spoke of the urgent need to include cotton in the new farm bill just as the other commodities are. It was taken out of the group in the last farm bill to avoid political controversy with “developing” countries like Brazil and China, a move causing significant losses for American farmers. Arrington said cotton should be treated just as the other commodities are and not singled out.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

Ag Commissioner Sid Miller spoke of his recent trip to Israel, where he successfully promoted Texas beef. He said the exports will begin once the procedure for making the beef kosher is implemented. He also mentioned the huge amount of potential trade with China for Texas beef.

Before their public meeting at the Lumberyard, Rep. Arrington visited the EduDrone office in the Shelansky Building and learned about some of the innovative programs of the Roscoe Collegiate ISD.

The event was sponsored by Richard Kemp’s Farm & Ranch Report, a daily program on Abilene radio station KGLD.FM 106.9, “The Country Giant.”

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SEVERAL ROSCOE ATHLETES QUALIFY FOR AREA TRACK & FIELD MEET

At the District 2A-8 Track & Field Meet in Albany on Thursday, several Plowgirls and Plowboys qualified for this afternoon’s Area Meet at McMurry in Abilene.

Seven schools participated in the District 2A-8 Meet: Albany, Anson, Hamlin, Haskell, Hawley, Roscoe Collegiate, and Stamford. Albany won the boys’ varsity division with 209 points, and Haskell won the girls’ with 128 points. The Plowboys finished seventh with 21 points and the Plowgirls fifth with 82.

The Plowgirls finished first in four events. Bonnie Wilkinson won the 400 meters and the Triple Jump, Lyndi Wilkinson won the 800 meters, and the Plowgirls’ 4 x 400 meter relay team (Jaci Alexander, Lyndi Wilkinson, Jaleigh Morales, and Bonnie Wilkinson) also finished first.

The first four finishers in each event move on to the Area Meet. Here are the Roscoe athletes who did so:

Plowgirls

Event                           Place        Athlete                   Time/Distance
400 meters                    1          Bonnie Wilkinson         1:00.49
800 meters                    1          Lyndi Wilkinson           2:23.20
4 x 100 meter relay      4          Plowgirls                           52.64
          (J. Alexander, L. Wilkinson, J. Morales, B. Wilkinson)
4 x 400 meter relay      1          Plowgirls                         4:11.58
          (J. Alexander, L. Wilkinson, J. Morales, B. Wilkinson)
Shot Put                         2          Jaleigh Morales               32’ 6”
                                         3          Kinzie Buchanan            31’ 9½”
Triple Jump                   1          Bonnie Wilkinson           35’ 10”

Plowboys

Pole Vault                     2          Jayden Gonzales               12’
Triple Jump                 4          Micheal Wright                  38’ 1”

Today’s Area Meet pits athletes from Districts 2A-8 and 2A-7. District 2A-7 comprises seven schools: Christoval, Eldorado, Forsan, Irion County, Miles, Ozona, and Winters. The first four finishers in each event at the Area Meet will advance to the Regional Meet in Odessa on April 28-29. The top two finishers in each Regional event will then advance to the State Meet in Austin May 11-13.

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CITY COUNCIL HEARS REPORTS, ONCOR RATE REQUEST

Police Chief Felix Pantoja gives the Police Report as Council Members Helen Perry, left, and Suzie Alford look on.

At its monthly meeting in City Hall yesterday evening, the City Council heard reports from the City Manager and Police Chief and denied a request for a rate hike by Oncor. the electric company.

City Manager Cody Thompson reported on the success of Spring Super Saturday, saying that a crowd of about 200 attended the Tuff Truck and Crash-Up Derby competition on Saturday afternoon and over 2000 were at the Lumberyard for the Charley Pride and Jamie Richards concerts. Roscoe’s retailers reported doing a brisk business during the day, and the Roscoe Express shuttled guests from one business to another.

Thompson also commented on the success of the Ag Summit at the Lumberyard Monday morning. A crowd of around 80 people heard U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller give talks on their recent actions concerning cotton and cattle. The City’s Spring Clean-Up was also a success with lots of activity and few snags. Tonnage will be announced at next month’s meeting.

Work on the City sewer upgrade by Whitney Underground Utilities began yesterday and will go on for the next few months. There is also a plan in place to repair some driveways at Fourth and Cedar Streets this week.

The City’s annual Easter Egg Hunt will be in Old Town Park downtown starting at 2:00pm on Saturday.

The City will advertise for applications for the job of City Swimming Pool manager for the summer.

Police Chief Felix Pantoja then gave the Council the Police Report for the month of March. He said there were 97 total calls, 23 traffic warnings and 3 citations, 15 ordinance violations regarding trash and debris, and three crash reports.

A representative of Oncor spoke to the Council about a rate hike that is being requested by the company, its first since 2011. The City rejected the request, but an increase of the monthly bill is likely, something like $6 or $7 for the average user.

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CITY OF ROSCOE EASTER EGG HUNT SATURDAY AFTERNOON

The Easter Bunny will be in downtown Roscoe Saturday afternoon.

The City-sponsored Easter Egg Hunt is this Saturday, April 15, starting at 2:00pm at Old Town Park across from City Hall on Cypress Street. Hunts are planned for three separate age groups: 0-3 years old, 4-7 years old, and 8-12 years old. Everyone is invited.

Please bring cameras and baskets for goodies.  For more information, contact City Hall during business hours at 325-766-3871.

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CITY SEEKS SUMMER MANAGER FOR CITY SWIMMING POOL

The City of Roscoe is now accepting applications for manager of the City Swimming Pool for the summer. Possible applicants should contact City Hall during business hours at 325-766-3871 for details.

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COMMUNITY CENTER

The Community Center would like to remind everyone that there will be no Third Sunday Dinner on April 16 because the third Sunday of this month is Easter.

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LADIES’ AUXILIARY SAYS THANKS

The Ladies’ Auxiliary of American Legion Post 227 wants to thank all the ladies who donated baked goods to the Ladies’ Auxiliary Bake Sale.

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WINNERS OF TUFF TRUCK COMPETITION AND CRASH-UP DERBY ANNOUNCED

Driver Caleb Dean crashes into his final opponent in the Crash-Up Derby.

The Tuff Truck competition winner on Saturday afternoon was Nick Pantoja and the winner of the Crash-Up Derby was Caleb Dean. Both are from Roscoe.

Here are the positions and times of the entries in the Tuff Truck competition:

        1.      Nick Pantoja        1:14
        2.      Levi Purcell         1:22
        3.      Caleb Dean          1:28
        4.      Caleb Dean          1:29
        5.      Jessop Reynolds  1:31
        6.      Benjamin Allen   1:32
        7.      James Pantoja      1:45
        8.      Cody Tepera        1:46
        9.      Shawn Scott        2:02
      10.     Jeromie Baugh     DNF

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WEATHER REPORT: TYPICAL SPRING WEATHER

Yesterday's sunset.

There was nothing really remarkable about the weather we had this past week. According to the meteorologists, we had a 50% chance of rain on Sunday, but we got nary a drop. I guess you could say that, too, is also typical of west Texas. We had some warm and some cool weather. Spring Super Saturday was warm with the temperature peaking at 88° with a southwest wind. It was a bit warm to be in the sunshine watching Tuff Trucks and the Crash-Up Derby, but it was just about perfect at 9:30 that evening when Charley Pride took the stage. The afternoon wind had diminished considerably, and the almost full moon lit up the sky.

The high temperature for the week came the following day when it got up to 89°F, but a cold front came in Monday morning, the wind shifted to the north, and the high temperature that afternoon was only 73°. Yesterday’s was 76°, and today’s will be only about 72°. Even though these temperatures are a bit below average for mid-April, it appears that the April freeze many were predicting after the thunder in January will most likely not come to pass. Temperatures for the coming week will be similar to what we’re experiencing now with extremes in neither direction.

According to the Weather Channel website, this area has an 80% chance of rain tonight and early tomorrow morning, but that will diminish to 10% by tomorrow night.

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