Mother Nature 1 - West Texas Wind Festival 0

People dance "on the bricks" just minutes before the thunderstorm hit.

It didn’t rain on the parade—but it was only because there was no parade—as a surprise shower hit the West Texas Wind Festival about 7pm Saturday evening and sent the gathering crowd scattering for cover.

The rain seemed to come out of nowhere. One minute the crowd was enjoying the music of the Dusty Creek Band. Many of them sat in lawn chairs set up on Cypress Street facing the outdoor music stage. Others walked around greeting and visiting friends and acquaintances, and still others milled around in Old Town Park or checked out street vendors’ merchandise, while several couples danced “on the bricks.” Many others were just arriving from the parking lot and looking for a good place to watch T. G. Sheppard and the Texas Hall of Fame Band, who were scheduled to begin the feature show at 8 o’clock. Most had noticed the few clouds gathering overhead, but as there was clear sky visible underneath them, few were paying any attention to them, even when a few sprinkles started landing here and there.

But then almost instantly, everything changed. The scattered raindrops suddenly became a deluge as lightning flashed and thunder crashed. Rain fell in sheets, and even some pea-sized hail fell from the sky as strong winds caused tree branches to sway. People ran every which way looking for cover, and the hard shower continued long enough that street vendors closed up shop while people ran to their vehicles and left the area. Water ran in streams down the sides of the streets, and the sound equipment set up for the bands was fried by the downpour. Word went around that the fireworks show had also been called off, and the 2017 West Texas Wind Festival had become history before ever reaching the main event.

Lots of people made their way to the Lumberyard, not only to get out of the rain but also to continue the celebration. It was packed in a short time both inside and out, and the Dusty Creek Band, which had been playing on the music stage on Cypress when the rainstorm hit, set up on the small stage of the Lumberyard and resumed their show.

Meanwhile, T. G. Sheppard, who was staying in a motel in Sweetwater, had been informed of the Roscoe rainstorm and the cancellation of the Wind Festival. He assumed his day was done, but when Lumberyard owner, Cody Thompson, told him that the Dusty Creek band had more sound equipment and was playing at the Lumberyard to a large crowd, he decided to return to Roscoe, saying he’d talked to some people who’d come a long way just to see him, one a woman from Minnesota, and he didn’t want to disappoint them or others. So, he quickly arranged with his backup group, the Texas Hall of Fame Band, to return to Roscoe.

T. G. Sheppard performs at the Lumberyard after the storm.

When he arrived a short while later, the Dusty Creek Band yielded the stage to him and his band, and, to the delight of the crowd, he put on his show. He sang his most popular past hits and got the crowd to join in with him when he sang “Do You Want to Go to Heaven?” So, despite the disruption of festivities by the storm, those who stuck around got to see T. G. Sheppard put on his show anyway, and everyone who did went away satisfied.

Plowboy Mudbog

The Plowboy Mudbog started and finished before the rain ever hit. Here are the final results for the winners of each class.

Street Class
1. Ben Allen           Buffalo Gap   '79 Tan GMC “Badger”       338’6”
2. Levi Purcell       Clyde              '97 Red Ford Explorer         280’5”
3. A. Steward         Sweetwater    '97 Black Ford F150            210’6”

Modified Class
1. David Pantoja    Roscoe           '77 Grey Chevy Blazer           483’
2. Jared Waters     Hobbs, NM   '84 Black Chevy Pickup       451’1”
3. D. Smallwood    Rotan              '40 Ford “Mudslut”             442’7”

Open Class
1. Wacey Daniel    Big Spring   '92 Chevy “Green Go” Cleared Both
2. Justin Wright     Rotan          '03 Chevy Pickup          Cleared 1st
3. James Pantoja    Roscoe        Toyota 4Runner                   448’6”

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RCHS RECEIVES PRAISE, ENCOURAGEMENT AT STEM ADVISORY MEETING

State Senator Charles Perry at the STEM Advisory Meeting.

The RCHS system model of education got plenty of kudos at the semi-annual STEM Advisory Meeting at the STEM Center Monday evening, and several dignitaries were on hand to hand out the compliments. These included Texas Senator Charles Perry, Texas Representative Stan Lambert, and Assistant Texas Agriculture Commissioner Dan Hunter.

After the program began with a 4H poster presentation by Roscoe fifth graders, high schoolers Cam Boren and Cynthia Thorn demonstrated the FarmBot, an open source project of a robot that plants, weeds, and waters plants.

RCISD Superintendent Kim Alexander followed with an update on the P-20 System Model for Success, saying that 90% or more of RCHS seniors now graduate with Associates Degrees and adding that both the Edu-Vet and Edu-Drone programs provide valuable experience as well as certifications that give students a leg up on employment in those fields. He also mentioned the commercial venture with Office Depot to spread the drone curriculum to other schools.

Professors Gary Briers of Texas A&M and David Doerfort of Texas Tech then reported good news on the West Virginia effort to replicate the Roscoe System Model in the rural counties of that state. Professor Briers said that when they were invited to a town meeting there to introduce and explain the model, they expected to meet with educational leaders but were surprised to be dealing directly with the Governor’s Office. They were told that 500 to 600 people are expected at the town meeting. It will be interesting to learn if the state adopts the Roscoe system for their rural schools there and, if so, how they will adapt it to suit their particular needs.

Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Dan Hunter, better known in Roscoe as Danny, the son of Archie Hunter and an RHS grad, spoke of the relevance of Roscoe Collegiate’s Edu-Drone program. He said that drones were important to recovery efforts in the Houston area after Hurricane Harvey, mentioning that they were used in many ways, such as locating missing people and photographing hard hit areas. He also praised Roscoe’s work with the aspiration of cattle, something that the Russians wanted to learn more about when he visited them.

Texas Senator Charles Perry for District 28, which includes Nolan County, gave an update on the 2017 legislative session and spoke of the importance of educational innovation such as RCHS engages in. He said changes to the State are coming fast and it’s only by such initiatives that education will be successful in keeping up with them.

Texas Representative Stan Lambert of Abilene also spoke of Roscoe’s program and its importance as a model for other rural schools such as Throckmorton and Albany, both of which had representatives present at the meeting.

The meeting closed with a panel discussion in which Dr. Glenn Shinn challenged those present to see how many schools in this area they could spread these innovative ideas to before the next STEM Advisory Meeting next April.

The meeting underscored the importance of RCISD’s accomplishments and continued efforts to provide a model for rural schools not only in Texas, but also in the nation and other countries as well.

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PLOWBOYS PLASTER PLAINS 42-7

Francisco Garcia (33) heads for the end zone in first-quarter action. (Photo by Tamara Alexander)

As the two teams lined up for the kickoff at Plowboy Field Friday evening, no one quite knew what kind of game to expect from the Plains Cowboys. On one hand, the Plowboys had easily beat them in Plains last year, but on the other, the 2-3 Cowboys were coming off only a 21-14 loss to Hamlin, which suggested that they might be considerably better this year since Hamlin has been picked by many to win the district title.

The Plowboys received the opening kickoff but faced a strong south wind. Still, they came out throwing and completed a couple of passes for good yardage as they quickly moved down the field on a 5-play drive that covered 80 yards and was capped off by a 13-yard Francisco Garcia touchdown run. The extra-point kick was no good, but the Plowboys were up 6-0 and confident they’d be able to put up more. Plains was stopped the first time they got the ball, but after holding the Plowboys and forcing a punt, they scored on a 34-yard run around left end. The extra-point kick was good, and the Cowboys were ahead 7-6. Their lead didn’t last long, though. On the Plowboys’ next possession, Garcia broke free and ran 47-yards for the second Plowboy touchdown. Clemente Aguayo ran for the two extra points, and the Plowboys were ahead 14-7, which was also the score at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Plowboys took control of the game by holding the Cowboys scoreless while making three TDs. The first was a 15-yard Ortega run, the second a 52-yard pass play from Gonzales to Micheal Wright, and the third a 17-yard Garcia run. By halftime, the score was 36-7, and there was no longer any doubt about who would win the game.

In the third quarter, neither side was able to score, but in the fourth, the Plowboys struck again when Gonzales threw a short pass to Brandon Lavalais, who broke free and ran 88 yards for the final touchdown of the evening to make the score 42-7 and keep the Plowboys undefeated in district play with a 2-0 record, while Plains drops to 0-2.

The Plowboys also dominated the statistics, racking up 523 total yards to Plains’ 162 and 21 first downs to Plains’ 8. Gonzales completed 14 of 29 passes for 282 yards and 2 TDs, and Barret Beal completed 1 for 1 for 18 yards. Lavalais led the receivers with 5 catches for 175 yards and 1 TD, while Ortega caught 5 for 64 yards. Micheal Wright caught only one, but it was for 52 yards and a TD. Clemente Aguayo caught two for 21 yards, and Garcia and Nick Limones caught one each.

The leading rusher was Garcia, who had 17 carries for 173 yards and 3 TDs. Ortega ran 3 times for 36 yards and 1 TD, Diego Garza ran once for 14 yards, Zach Gordon 3 times for 8 yards, and Gonzales 5 times for 5 yards.

On defense, four Plowboys—Ortega, Paul Pantoja, Tait Fullwood, and Garza each had 5½ tackles; Aguayo had 5, Jacob Rainey 4½, and Lavalais 3, while Parker Payne, Wright, and Tristan Brooks each had 2.

Big Game in Seagraves Friday

Friday the Plowboys travel to Seagraves for one of the most important games of the season. Seagraves is coming off a 34-28 loss to Hamlin, but they were behind 28-6 at halftime and came back in the second half to outscore the Pied Pipers 21-6 and narrow their lead to 6 before losing the game. Last year, their second-half comeback knocked Roscoe out of the playoffs, so the Plowboys will most likely have to play all four quarters well to win the game. A victory over the Eagles will keep the Plowboys undefeated and in good shape for their showdown with Hamlin the last game of the regular season, but it won’t be easy as it’s a must-win situation for the Eagles if they want to stay in contention for the district title.

Kickoff for the game is at 7:00pm as it is for all district games.

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CHRIS KNIGHT TO PLAY AT THE LUMBERYARD SATURDAY

Singer/songwriter Chris Knight and his band will be at the Lumberyard Saturday night. Knight is from Kentucky but is well known in Texas and was named an “Honorary Texan” in 2006 by Governor Rick Perry. In addition to releasing records of his own songs, he has written songs for Confederate Railroad, John Anderson, and Randy Travis.

He has produced eight albums since 1998. Top singles include “Framed,” “It Ain’t Easy Being Me,” “Becky’s Bible,” “Oil Patch Town,” “The Jealous Kind,” “Cry Lonely,” “Down the River,” and “North Dakota.”

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

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WEATHER REPORT: COOLER OVERALL WITH A SUDDEN SHOWER

The City Windmill points north yesterday afternoon.

In general, the temperatures for the past week were cooler than the week before, but that’s to be expected, I guess, as we move deeper into fall. And most of the week, there wasn’t even a hint of precipitation—except for that one surprise downpour that came at the worst possible time for Saturday’s West Texas Wind Festival. Its damage was not in the amount of rain that fell but in its suddenness and ferocity. The total accumulation was only about .3”, and it was over in about fifteen minutes, but it lasted long enough that it forced the festival’s cancellation.

Earlier that day the high temperature of the week was recorded at 86°F. Friday and Monday both had highs of 80°, but the other days rose only into the seventies, and yesterday’s high was only 69°. The low for the week was this morning’s 43°.

Today should be sunny and warmer with a high of 79°, and tomorrow will be windy with a high of around 86°. However, a norther is due tomorrow evening, making the season’s first freeze a distinct possibility Friday morning. Friday’s high is projected to be only 54° and Saturday’s only 59°, so if you haven’t already got your jacket or coat out since March, you probably will in a couple of days. And, if you plan to go to the football game in Seagraves Friday evening, you will definitely want to bundle up as a sharp north wind is expected along with the drop in temperature. On Sunday, high temperatures will return to the seventies and probably remain that way all next week. Morning lows will be within a degree or two of 50°.

There is no rain in the forecast. (But that’s what I said last week.)

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