Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everybody! Here’s hoping you’ve had a nice holiday break and are ready to greet the new year with optimism and the will to make 2019 another great year!

Like all the other years before it, 2018 Anno Domini is now history, never to return. But, before we leave it behind, a review of some of its events is in order. So, let’s take a look at it from the perspective of the west Texas town we all have in common.

Roscoe is unusual in many ways, and its impact on the rest of the world has always been greater than a community of 1300 should rightfully have. Like Garrison Keillor, who speaks of his fictitious town of Lake Wobegone, we tend to think of Roscoe as a place “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.”

Festivals and the Music Scene

Buster Welch and Mayor Pete Porter on Buster Welch Day.

Our town is special in many ways, and one of them is in our city celebrations. These include an annual Spring festival, the 4th of July celebration, and the West Texas Wind Festival in October. This year was no exception. Spring Super Saturday this year honored Buster Welch, one of the best-known cowboys in the country for the past half-century. As a rider, horse trainer, and rancher, he is nationally known and is a member of just about every Hall of Fame in that area of life.

The celebration was held at the Lumberyard on the occasion of his 90th birthday and attended by a huge crowd of well-wishers. Country music legend Johnny Bush provided the entertainment, and Mayor Pete Porter proclaimed the occasion Buster Welch Day, citing Mr. Welch’s many lifetime accomplishments.

The July 4th Celebration once again had all the familiar events it has come to be known for—the Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast, the Independence Day Parade, the Plowboy Mudbog, the downtown street vendors, the free concert and street dance, and the fireworks show. This year’s featured live music act was Restless Heart, who put on a great show. As usual, a large crowd of Roscoe residents and Big Country visitors were on hand.

The West Texas Wind Festival in October was also attended by a large crowd with Nashville musician T. Graham Brown the headline act for the free concert and street dance. Unfortunately, the scheduled Plowboy Mudbog had to be canceled because its venue, the baseball field, was underwater from the record-breaking rains of the previous weeks.



Besides the nationally known musicians who perform at the city festivals, Roscoe is also known throughout the area and state as a country-music mecca where famous singers perform at the outdoor stage of the Lumberyard. Along with legendary country singers such as Ray Price, Charlie Pride, Merle Haggard, Mel Tillis, Charlie Daniels, Tanya Tucker, and others who have sung there in previous years, this year’s biggest performer had to be Wynonna Judd, whose appearance on July 6 more than doubled the population of Roscoe for a few hours. She enjoyed the event as much as anyone, and both she and her fans made the most of her appearance despite a short shower that drenched everyone right before her show began. 

She wasn’t the only celebrity at the Lumberyard in 2018, though. Others, such as Johnny Rodriguez, Neal McCoy, Pat Green, Wade Bowen, Steve Helms, the Dirty River Boys, and Micky & the Motorcars, also drew large crowds.

Roscoe School

Roscoe’s school system once again was hailed as one of the most innovative and accomplished in the state. As in previous years, almost all its graduating seniors had already received their Associate Degrees from Western Texas College before being awarded their high school diplomas. In doing so, the ones going on to universities saved themselves and their parents thousands of dollars in tuition fees by having all their general requirements out of the way, and they as well as the others received training in STEM fields that enhance their employment opportunities for rewarding careers.

The P-20 system used by RCISD has been hailed by educators and professors all over the state, and this year the state of West Virginia is applying the Roscoe system to some of its public schools to increase their quality. Roscoe’s certification programs are also receiving general praise. Edu-Drone students learn to repair and fly drones, leading to FAA Certification for commercial drone flight, and the school is partnering with Office Depot to spread its curriculum to other schools in the nation. Edu-Vet students benefit from working in a pet clinic with on-site veterinarians.

This year, the certification initiative also added a new program called Edu-Make It, which trains students to use CNC (computer numeric control) technology and design with AutoCad software for 3-D printers and plasma cutters. Also new is Edu-Weld, where students learn to weld and earn American Welding Society certifications, assuring them opportunities for better salaries and career potential.

In January, RCISD’s initiative with Western Texas and Texas A&M received the Collaboration Award at the A&M Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence ceremony. In March its three-day meeting with area educators as well as officials from the Texas Education Agency and the U. S. Department of Education increased its exposure and was featured in this KTAB newscast.



Throughout the year, many other Texas school districts sent representatives to the school to learn more about its program.

In November, the school was awarded a $432,000 grant to support its work in educational innovation by the Greater Texas Foundation, a private philanthropic group dedicated to improving Texas public school education.

And last month, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath visited the school for the first time. After viewing its facilities and learning more about its P-20 program, he declared it “quite possibly the absolute best” practice in public schools in Texas. A description of his visit was covered in a December 11 article in the Abilene Reporter-News, which can be viewed by clicking here.

In short, Roscoe’s school continues to receive kudos and make waves for its innovations in the field of public education. For this reason, it continues to grow, and this year its total number increased to over 630 students, including the pre-K students going to the Early Childhood Montessori Center.

The Roscoe Wind Farms

The Lithium-Ion Battery System at Inadale Wind Farm.

For more than a decade now, Roscoe has also been known nationally and internationally for its wind farms. Although its wind farm may no longer be the largest in the country, it still receives more than its share of attention in the national media. 

Last year, the wind energy company E.On put its first lithium battery station for wind turbines on its Inadale Wind Farm, and in January, NBC and MSNBC both produced news segments about wind energy in the Roscoe area. The MSNBC one aired on Friday, February 23, and the NBC one on Sunday, February 25, right before the Olympics and was thus seen by a much larger audience. The MSNBC segment can be accessed by clicking here. The NBC segment can be seen by clicking here.

City Progress

Heady Auto Parts store at 1022 S. Main Street.

Roscoe added one new business this year, the Heady Auto Parts store at 1022 S. Main, across from the Stripes station and convenience store. It is owned and operated by Ricky Heady, who also has Carquest auto parts stores in Colorado City and Merkel. 

A Mexican restaurant, El Tejano Grill, opened at Cypress and Broadway downtown in April but closed in late August. It will re-open when proper personnel can be found to help run it.

Roscoe’s merchants had their most successful Christmas Open House yet in November. This event, which is held on a Sunday afternoon before Thanksgiving, kicks off the Christmas shopping season with refreshments and prizes and draws shoppers from all over the Big Country.

The City has improved its sewer system this year and the Texas Department of Agriculture has approved a Texas Community Block Grant of $275,000 for continued sewer line improvements. These will be for new lines in south Roscoe.

Direct descendants of Dr. & Mrs. J. W. Young, Sr. at dedication ceremony.

In February, Memorial Park on the corner of Broadway and Cypress placed a new monument to honor two early Roscoe citizens, Dr. J. W. Young, Sr., and his wife, Iona Kearse Young, for their lifetime contributions to the community. 

Cotton and the Weather

The Central Rolling Plains Co-op Gin.

Along with the good, sometimes there also comes the not so good, which would be a generous way to describe this year’s cotton crop. During the record harvest of the year before, the weather was sunny and dry, just the way the farmers wanted it. 

Unfortunately, after the cotton was all stripped and in, the weather stayed dry. From January through June, the official total for Roscoe was only 6.93”, far below what was needed for young cotton. And the total for July was only 0.41” more, which meant a bust for this year’s dryland crop. The rain finally did come in September with a monthly total of 4.99”. It then broke the record in October with a total of 13.83”, the most for that month since official records began in 1936.

The total precipitation for 2018 was 31.53 inches, close to 10 inches over the annual average—and eight inches more than last year’s 23.68” when we had a record crop—which underscores the sad truth that it’s not just how much rain you get, but also when you get it.

As of last Thursday, the Central Rolling Plains Co-op Gin had produced only 13,626 bales with almost all of those coming from irrigated fields. That’s less than an eighth of last year’s total of 111,599 bales and is the least amount of any year since 2011. The good news is that the rain we’ve got in October and since will provide plenty of ground moisture for this year’s crop, so if we can just get some timely rains in 2019, the cotton crop will once again be in good shape.

Other facts about Roscoe’s 2018 weather from Kenny Landfried’s official records are these. The last spring freeze was the 28°F on the morning of April 8. Then on April 13, just five days later, the high was 98°. The first triple-digit day was May 27, when the high reached 104°. May had four hundred-degree days, June eleven, July fifteen, and August two for a total of 32 days in which the temperature was 100° or higher. That’s the most since 2012, which had 34 such days. The hottest temperature was 109° on July 20, and the coldest was 5° on January 1. The first fall freeze was on November 13, when the mercury fell to 21°.

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ROSCOE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT

Traffic accident at S. Main and South Service Road last Wednesday.

On Wednesday, December 26, at approximately 12:21pm, the Roscoe Police Department and Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the South Main Street and South Service Road intersection in Roscoe to a traffic crash involving a white Chevrolet suburban driven by an 84-year-old male and a red Freightliner semi-truck driven by a 40-year-old male.

According to investigator Sergeant Shane Baxter, the red semi-truck was traveling north on Main Street, and the white suburban was traveling west on the South Service Road. The driver of the suburban failed to stop and yield right-of-way to the semi-truck at the intersection. The suburban then struck the trailer of the semi-truck on the back axles. The driver of the white suburban was transported by ambulance to Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater.

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PLOWGIRLS RUNNERS-UP AT ANSON TOURNAMENT

The Plowgirls display their trophies at Anson.

The Plowgirls finished 2018 with a flourish, winning three games and losing one at the Anson Varsity Basketball Tournament last week. Their only loss was in the tournament finals to Vega, currently ranked number four in the state. Their victories were over Anson, Waxahachie Life, and Borden County.

Bonnie Wilkinson, Sr., and Shauna McCambridge, Fr., made the All-Tournament Team.

Here are the scores by quarters and individual scoring for each of the games:

Plowgirls 49 – Anson 35

                                            1           2           3           4
               Plowgirls            6         25         36         49
               Anson                11         18         23         35

Individual Plowgirl scoring: Riley Sheridan 12, Victoria Martinez 9, Bonnie Wilkinson 9, Veronica Cuellar 8, Shauna McCambridge 5, Sadie McCambridge 4, Jovana Peña 2.

Plowgirls 48 – Waxahachie Life 43

                Plowgirls            6         17         32         48
                Waxa. Life          7         10         22         43

Individual Plowgirl scoring: Wilkinson 14, Sh. McCambridge 10, Martinez 8, Sa. McCambridge 7, Cuellar 7, Peña 2.

Plowgirls 40 – Borden County 38

                Plowgirls            13         22         31         40
                Borden County   6           9         28         38

Individual Plowgirl scoring: Martinez 17, Wilkinson 8, Sh. McCambridge 8, Sa. McCambridge 4, Sheridan 3.

Vega 58 – Plowgirls 22

                 Vega                 10         30         45         58
                Plowgirls            2           8          10         22

Individual Plowgirl scoring: Wilkinson 8, Sh. McCambridge 8, Martinez 4, Sheridan 2.

The Plowgirls are now 12-7 on the year. Their next game is tomorrow evening here at home against Stamford. Tip-off is at 6:15pm following the JV game.

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PLOWBOYS DROP TWO IN ANSON TOURNAMENT

The Plowboy basketball team lost twice in the Anson Varsity Tournament last week, once to the Wylie JV team and once to Wellington. 

Here are the scores by quarters followed by the individual Plowboy scoring for each game.

Wylie JV 56 – Plowboys 39

                                             1          2            3           4
                Wylie JV           14         30         43         56
                Plowboys            6         17         28         39

Individual Plowboy scoring: Jose Ortega 10, Junior Martinez 7, Hunter Anglin 6, Brayan Medina 6, Jayden Gonzales 5, Caleb Gray 2, Jacob Rainey 2, Ryan Highsmith 1.

Wellington 57 – Plowboys 27

                  Wellington       12         23         43         57
                  Plowboys            9         15         22         27

Individual Plowboy scoring: Anglin 6, Medina 5, Highsmith 4, Gonzales 3, Gray 3, Gage Turnbow 2, Martinez 2, Ortega 2.

The Plowboys play next with Post at Post tomorrow evening. Tipoff is at 7:30pm following the JV game.

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WEATHER REPORT: FREEZING RAIN, SNOW ON THE WAY

The rainbow over Roscoe on Thursday afternoon.

The forecast for today and tomorrow is calling for freezing rain, snow, and low temperatures. A winter advisory issued by the National Weather Service in San Angelo went into effect at 3:00am last night and continues until 6:00pm tomorrow. Freezing rain and sleet across West Central Texas is forecast through late tonight with snow or sleet accumulations of 2 to 4 inches possible tomorrow. Highest ice accumulations forecast in Nolan, Taylor, and Callahan Counties. Freezing drizzle possible through the morning then freezing rain beginning this afternoon to late tonight, before transitioning to snow and/or sleet tomorrow morning. Ice and accumulating snow will make for hazardous driving conditions, especially on bridges and overpasses. Power outages are possible. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

I think the weather advisory is telling us that winter is officially here and will be acting like it for the next couple of days. That’s something of a change from the weather we’ve had for the past week or so. It was 60°F on Christmas Day and 69° the day after that. On Thursday, the high dropped to 49° as a front moved through, and we got .25” of rain. The weekend was cold with highs of 34° and 33° on Friday and Saturday with lows of 27° and 26°. Monday warmed back up to a high of 57°, and .31” more of rain fell. Yesterday another front moved in with high winds, and the high was back down to 33°. This morning’s low was 23°.

After today and tomorrow’s freezing rain and snow, the sun should come back out on Friday and warm the temperature to a 57° high. Saturday and Sunday should be even warmer with more sunshine and highs of 61° and 62° and lows of 40° on Saturday and 49° Sunday.

Any more precipitation after tomorrow is unlikely.

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† ROSELL (HAMMONDS) BAXTER

Graveside services for Rosell Baxter, 83, of Sweetwater, were held on Saturday, December 22, at Garden of Memories with Rev. Bill Scott officiating, followed by burial. Cate-Spencer & Trent directed arrangements. She passed away on Wednesday, December 19, at Sweetwater Healthcare Center.

Rosell was born on April 14, 1935, in Rochester to Albert and Gracie (Brooks) Hammonds. She was a member of Broadway Baptist Church in Sweetwater. She worked as cafeteria manager for SISD for many years before retiring.

She is survived by two daughters, Deborah Gilbreath and husband Darrel of Clyde and Rhonda Ivey and husband Roger of Roscoe; grandchildren, Amanda King and husband Jeremy, Chrisi Warner and husband Kris, Heather Garrison and husband Grady, Hillary Miles and husband Britt, and Clint Ivey; eight great grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dewey Baxter; parents, Albert and Gracie Hammonds; and four sisters, Oleta Worsham, Margaret Bell, Clara Gibson, and Yuvone Kendrick.

The family would like to express its sincere appreciation to the staff at Sweetwater Healthcare for their loving care of Rosell.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hendrick Hospice.

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† BARBARA ANN (KARONIKA) REED

Funeral services for Barbara Ann (Karonika) Reed, 72, of Roscoe were at 2:00pm Saturday, December 29, at McCoy Chapel of Memories with Rev. Juanelle Jordan officiating, followed by interment at Roscoe Cemetery. She passed away on Thursday, December 27, at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene.

Barbara was born July 3, 1946, in Houston and graduated from Roscoe High School in 1964. She married Kenneth Reed in April of 1966. She attended Howard College and Cisco Junior College in Abilene for one year each and graduated from TSTC in Sweetwater in 1975 and became a Licensed Vocational Nurse. She was on the Dean’s List at all three campuses. She worked geriatric nursing and was Director of Nurses and Assistant Director of Nurses at area nursing homes. Barbara also worked for PPI for over 12 years as a Program Director. She served two terms on the Roscoe City Council and was a past president of American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, Post #227, at Roscoe. She loved animals and would leave out food and water for the many strays.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Kenneth, of the home; son, Scotty Reed and wife Tara of Corinth, Texas; three grandchildren, Tripp, Briana and Brody Reed, all of Corinth; and two sisters, Tonia Fowler of Lubbock and Becky Bowen of Roscoe. She also is survived by three nieces, one nephew, two great nephews and three great nieces. She also leaves behind her beloved dog, Blue.

She is preceded in death by her father, Frank Karonika, in 2003; mother, Florence Johnson in 2008; brother, Donald Johnson in 2010, and sister, Pat Karonika, in 2011.

Pallbearers were Phil Strother, Tripp Reed, Ted Kinsey, Sr., Ted Kinsey, Jr., David Mueller, and Russell Graham.

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