Country Music Star Johnny Rodriguez to Play Here on Saturday

Johnny Rodriguez

Country music great Johnny Rodriguez is the latest big name to bring his act to Roscoe.  He and his band will be performing on the outdoor stage of the Lumberyard this Saturday night, starting at about 9:20pm.  

His former number one hits on the country chart include “You Always Come Back to Hurting Me,” “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico,” “I Just Can’t Get Her Out of My Mind,” “Just Get Up and Close the Door,” and “Love Put a Song in My Heart.”

He was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and this year has released a new album, “Johnny Rodriguez: Live from Texas.”

The cover charge will be $10.   A large crowd is expected. 

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ROSCOE PADRES’ SEASON ENDS IN PLAYOFFS AT HAWLEY

Padres batter hits the ball in game against the Hawley Orioles.

After winning their league championship, the Roscoe Padres went to the playoffs with high hopes but were eliminated with back-to-back losses last week.  On a very hot day they played their first game against the Hawley Orioles and went into the final inning with a one-run lead but were unable to hold it and wound up losing by a score of 12-11.

They then had to play the second game against the Colorado City A’s immediately following the Hawley game, and one Padre starter was unable to start because he was overcome by the heat.  Before the game was over, another player had to come out, also due to the heat.  The A’s went on to win the game, and the Padres' season was over.

Nevertheless, they had a great run while it lasted.  Congratulations to the Padres for a fine season!

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WASTELLA TRUCK WRECK CLAIMS LIFE OF ALABAMA MAN

A one-vehicle crash near Wastella on US 84 and FM 1982 last Wednesday claimed the life of one man and injured another.  Frederick Barry Littlefield, 56, a mover from Dothan, Alabama, died on Sunday night at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene after hanging on for four days.  David Lee Jackson, 49, a truck driver, was injured and taken to Rolling Plains Hospital in Sweetwater, where he was treated and released.

Jackson was traveling northwest on US 84 and was attempting to change lanes in a curve when he lost control and skidded sideways into the center median, causing his 2005 International truck to overturn. 

Neither Jackson nor Littlefield was wearing a seat belt. 

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UPDATE ON THE TIMELINE FOR CITY WATER LINE IMPROVEMENTS AND WATER TREATMENT PLANT

According to City Manager Cody Thompson, the current schedule for the new reverse-osmosis water treatment plant to be built on West Broadway has been moved back slightly. 

The word now is that the plans and specifications should be delivered by September.  Then, thirty to sixty days will be allotted for City and State review.  Bids should go out by mid-November and be awarded by mid-December.  Construction should then begin in January and go on for approximately eight months, meaning that the Water Treatment Plant should be online by September or October of next year.

Water line improvements will also be made and take from three to five months to complete.  Part of the improvements will be a new SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Analysis) system, which monitors the water system and eliminates fluctuations in water pressure.

The new water treatment plant and water line improvements are possible because of a $1, 725,000 award from the Texas Water Development Board.

Bids for a new lift station for sewage for the north side of Roscoe will also go out in September.  The north side is currently served by an older lift station too small for expansion.  The new one will allow for further development of the area.

 

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WEATHER REPORT

The area experienced typical July weather for another week.  Highs were generally in the mid to upper nineties with lows in the low seventies.  Monday was cloudy most of the day and considerably cooler, and at times the sky looked promising, but once again there was no moisture. 

The outlook for the next few days is for more of the same—sunny skies, highs in the mid nineties and lows in the seventies.  There is no rain in the forecast.   

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Independence Day Celebration an All-Day Crowd Pleaser

A rainbow graces the downtown sky at Saturday's celebration.

A large crowd of local folks and visitors filled the streets of Roscoe all day long on Saturday as the city celebrated Independence Day with a parade, street vendors, inflatables for the kids, a Plowboy Mudbog, and a street dance with live music followed by the traditional fireworks show.  Events filled the hot summer day from morning to night.

(Video 1 - The parade and kids playing on the inflatables.)

The day kicked off with a big parade down Broadway at ten o’clock with a wide variety of floats, vehicles, and participants.  This year’s Parade Marshals were Johnny and Billie Martin, Betty Sasin, Frank Young, and Doyle Sanders.  Parade Judges were Mayor Pete Porter and Vershal Smith. 

The parade’s prize winners for the listed categories were as follows:

     Antique Car - Red Sportster
     Western Float - Kristie Martin (Loraine)
     Bicycle - Nate Bennett
     Patriotic Float - American Legion Ladies Auxiliary
     Mud Bog Truck - No Mojo
     Overall Float - the Barrel Train
     ATV's & Motorcycles - Gator with Flags
     Farm Implement - Chris Hagerman’s John Deere Tractor

Donating to the prize winners’ gift bags were the following businesses and organizations: Vickie’s Gifts, Pizza Hut, Sonic, Hagerman’s Auto, Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department, Compass Hospice of Big Spring, and the Plowboy Mudbog Association.

Parade organizer Valerie Pruitt extends special thanks to marshal drivers Shorie Henderson, Patty McBride, and Doyle Sanders and to Zela and Staci Armstrong for their help with the parade.  

The Sweetwater Reporter ran an article and full-page pictorial on the Roscoe parade in its Monday edition.

The Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department held a raffle for a very nice homemade barbecue pit, and the winner was someone from San Angelo. 

A variety of food, arts and crafts, and other vendors were on hand selling their wares, and the inflatables in Memorial Park were enjoyed by kids of various age groups.

(Video 2 - The Plowboy Mudbog with clips of selected entries.)

Participation and attendance at the Plowboy Mudbog exceeded all expectations.  A crowd of about a thousand braved the summer heat to see some of the best mud vehicles and drivers in this region attempt to successfully navigate the Roscoe blackland mud, and a record 57 contestants in five different classes extended the time of the event from noon to late in the afternoon. 

The open class was a special treat as a few of its drivers made it all the way through the course without bogging down, and monster machines like No Mojo, Bug Nasty, and Head Hunter were real crowd pleasers.

Here are the Plowboy Mudbog first-place prize winners:

     CLASS                  VEHICLE                 (OWNER/DRIVER)
     Street Class         Blue Jeep                  (Harley Rich)
     Super Street        Black/Blue Chevy   (Marcelo Martinez)
     Modified               Black Blazer             (Glenn Owens)
     Super Modified    Jeep                          (Arden Alvarez)
     Open                     Head Hunter            (Charley Rich)

Abilene Reporter-News reporters and photographers were on hand to record the event, and on Sunday the paper published an article about it, which you can access by clicking here.

The Big Country website also features a video on Roscoe's celebration, which is accessible here.

(Video 3 - Greg Maldo & Band, Curtis Potter & Band, Fireworks)

Starting at six o’clock, live music filled the air from a stage set up between the Roscoe State Bank and Old Town Park as couples danced in the street.  Greg Maldo & Band from Lubbock opened for Big Country music star Curtis Potter, who brought along special guest Justin Trevino. 

A crowd estimated at somewhere between 2500 and 3000 was on hand that evening for the live music and the fireworks show that followed. 

As usual, the event organizers did an excellent job and deserve the thanks of everyone who attended the activities and enjoyed the day.

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WEATHER REPORT

On Sunday night it rained.  It was welcomed everywhere as it came at an opportune time, but almost everyone I talked to would greatly appreciate more. 

Amounts varied according to location.  Here in town, most folks got about a half-inch.  I had .65” in my rain guage, the City Shop on Pecan Street had .75”, Kenny Landfried on the east side got .42”, and Lyndall Underwood on the west side got about the same.

Heavier rains fell west and southwest of town with 1.85” at Brownlee, 1.8” at Champion, two inches at Daylon Althof’s, and 1.65” at David Duncan’s three miles west of town.  Kenny Landfried reported 2.5” on his farm near Cottonwood Creek.  

North of town generally got less than an inch and in some cases much less. Area farms in Fisher County got little or nothing. 

Farmers are hoping for more as the chance of rain is still in the forecast today and tomorrow.

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† CHARLES D. RICHBURG

Services for Charles D. Richburg, 79, are being held at 10:00am this morning at the First United Methodist Church in Roscoe followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery.  He died on Saturday, July 7, at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene.

Mr. Richburg was born in Loraine on May 11, 1933, and married Peggy Dunn on December 30, 1955, in Hart.  He was a member of the Lions Club and the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department as well as the First United Methodist Church, where he was an administrator for the Sunday School.  He served in the United States Army during the Korean war.

He is survived by his sons Lance Richburg and Doug Richburg, both of Sweetwater; daughter Billye Sue Richburg Hughes of Roscoe; sisters Cindy Wilson of Fredericksburg and Margaret Vaughn of Abilene; grandchildren Heather Schriber; Tommy, B. J., and Allie Hughes; Rachel, Dylan, Kaci, Emily, and Molly Richburg; and Kyndal and Corbin Knapp; nine great-grandchildren; and girlfriend Carol Greenway.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Peggy Richburg; and brothers Don Richburg and Jerry Richburg.

Pallbearers will be B. J. Hughes, Tommy Hughes, James Parrott, Allen Richburg, Charles Wilson, and Donnie Horne.

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† D. M. PIEPER

Holy Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Delman M. Pieper, 92, at 10:00am tomorrow, July 12, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery.  Mr. Pieper passed away on Monday at the Sweetwater Healthcare Center.

He was born on February 19, 1920, in Oglesby, Texas, and graduated from Pyron High School in 1938.  He then attended Texas Tech for one year and, later, attended Anderson Aircraft School near Burbank, California, where he completed a certificate for aircraft construction.  He was employed in that field for two years by Lockheed Aircraft before returning home and then working for the Army Air Corps in Roswell, NM, as a civil servant.  In 1945 he married Edith Brom, and they moved to Wastella, where he then farmed until 1985. 

A member of Holy Family Catholic Church, he served on several local boards including the Roscoe School Board, Inadale Co-op Gin, Rolling Plains Compress, and Nolan County Farm Bureau.

He is survived by his wife, Edith Pieper of Sweetwater; daughter Janice Tiemann and husband Harold of Yorktown; son Gary Pieper and wife Frances of Roscoe; grandchildren Christopher Pieper and Amy Webb; Jacob, Melody, and Nathan Tiemann; and two great grandchildren; three brothers, Arnold Lee Pieper of Loraine, Carl Pieper of Clyde, and Travis Pieper of Odessa; and two sisters, Velma Nader of Fort Worth and Jewel Harris of Borger.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Myrtle Pieper, sister Orene Cummings, and brothers Barnett Pieper, Arnold Pieper, and Robert Duane Pieper.

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† CHELSEA ANN FULLWOOD

Services for Chelsea Ann Fullwood, 17, of Dayton, Texas, will be at 2:00pm Saturday, July 14, at the Roscoe Church of Christ followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery.  She died on Friday, July 6, in Liberty, Texas.

She was born November 19, 1994, in Abilene to Gary Lynn and Tracy Ann Fullwood, and had lived in the Colorado City and Dayton areas the past few years.

She is survived by her mother and stepfather, Tracy and Russell Antonucci of Dayton; her father and stepmother, Gary and Anita Fullwood of Big Spring; her brother, Jarrett Fullwood of Dayton; stepbrothers and sisters Matthew Eric Arellano, Adrian Lee Arellano, Felicia Monique Arellano, Adriana Jolene Martinez and Mia Preseas Silva; grandparents Ted and Peggy Kimbrell, Jesse and Patty Fullwood, and Russell and Joanne Antonucci, as well as numerous other relatives and close friends. 

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City Prepares for Independence Day Celebration on Saturday

City workers hang a Welcome to Roscoe banner on Broadway in anticipation of Saturday's festivities.

Happy July the 4th!  Final preparations are underway for Saturday’s big Independence Day Celebration, and the event’s organizers are planning a day to remember. 

The day will begin with a parade down Broadway at ten o’clock, followed by the Plowboy Mudbog at George Parks Field, with the gates opening at eleven and the event beginning at twelve.  

After the parade, street vendors will open and be selling food and other wares along  Broadway and Cypress, and bounce houses will be available for the kids in Old Town Park across from the bank. 

Music will begin “on the bricks” of Cypress next to the bank at six o’clock with Greg Maldo, followed at eight by country music star Curtis Potter.  Shortly after dark, there will be the fireworks show followed by more music. 

See below for more details about the various events of the day.

THE INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
 
Parade organizers invite your participation.  They are looking for creativity and variety.  Float awards will be presented to best overall, best western, and most patriotic, and prizes will also be awarded for the best bicycles, antique vehicles, motorcycles, semis, and farm implements.  

The parade will start at 10:00am.  Line-up will be on W. Broadway at 9:30am, and judging will be at 9:45am.  

For more information, call Valerie Pruitt at 325-338-4666. 

VENDORS AND KIDS’ ACTIVITIES

As always, several food booths along with arts and crafts vendors will open on Broadway and Cypress after the parade and remain open for the rest of the day.  

Bounce houses and other inflatables will also be available for the kids.  This year’s selection has something for children of all age groups—a 45-foot obstacle castle, a deluxe combo bounce house with slide, a jousting arena, and a giant 18-foot slide. 

THE PLOWBOY MUDBOG

 This year’s Plowboy Mudbog at George Parks Field will feature two of the best known mudboggers in the region with the appearance of Bug Nasty and Head Hunter, both of Hobbs, New Mexico.  There will also be contestants from Amarillo, Odessa, Ballinger, Colorado City, Roscoe, and elsewhere, so the competition should be fierce. 

Entries will be divided into five classes.  See last week’s Hard Times for details. The public gate will open at 11:00am with the mudbog beginning at noon.  Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for kids from 8 to 14.  Children 7 and under are free.  Proceeds will benefit the Roscoe baseball little league, and the Roscoe FFA will run the concession booth. 

There will also be a Plowboy Mudbog “Dash for Cash,” an entertaining event featuring kids running through knee-deep mud.

For more information, see the Plowboy Mudbog Facebook page, or contact Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384 or David Pantoja at 325-280-1917.

THE STREET DANCE “ON THE BRICKS”

Curtis Potter

The music stage will be set up on Cypress Street between the Roscoe State Bank and Old Town Park.  Greg Maldo from Lubbock will open the show at around six o’clock.  (You can listen to his song “Anymore” by clicking here).

He will be followed at eight o’clock by this year’s feature performer, Curtis Potter. 

Curtis Potter has been performing all his life.  Born in Cross Plains, he was a regular on the old Slim Willet Show on KRBC-TV in the early days of west Texas television and went on to become a star in Nashville and in Texas.  His first major hit was “You Comb Her Hair Every Morning” (click to listen), and he went on to perform several others, such as “Walkin’, Talkin’, Breathin’ Case of Sorrow.” 

In 1984, he helped form Step One Records in Nashville, which went on to become the largest independent label in the world.  In 1995, he and Willie Nelson had a number one video in “Turn Me Loose and Let Me Swing,” taken from the album “Six Hours at the Pedernales” teaming Potter with Willie Nelson. 

Since 2005, he’s released three albums, “Them Old Honky Tonks,” “Chicago Dancing Girls,” and “Down in Texas Today,” all on the Heart of Texas label.

FIREWORKS SHOW

This year’s fireworks show, organized by City Councilman Robert McBride, will, as always, be a memorable event that fittingly tops off the day.

So, if you're in the area, make plans to attend, and help us celebrate the country’s independence on Saturday!

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WEATHER REPORT

The entire past week has been typical summer west Texas weather—hot and dry.  Today should be no different—sunny with highs in the mid-nineties and south winds 15-20mph. 
The rest of the week will be similar with sunny skies, highs in the mid to upper nineties and lows in the seventies.  There is no rain in the forecast.

Economic Development Board Approves Support of New Liquor Store

The Rockin' S Cantina will be located on this lot just west of the Shell station in south Roscoe.

At its last meeting, the City of Roscoe's Economic Development Board, also known as the A Board, approved a proposal to support a new liquor store projected to open in south Roscoe shortly before the annual Wind Festival in October.

The establishment, known as the Rockin’ S Cantina, will be run by Jason and Tarrah Stuart and will be located on the lot just west of the Chillerz Shell station on the access road to I-20 West. 

It will be housed in a metal building with a drive-thru facing I-20 and will be a combination liquor store and gift shop.  The Stuarts say they have already spoken to some local residents about providing homemade canned goods, art work, and other items for sale there. 

They hope to create a hometown atmosphere and provide as many as five part-time jobs for local residents.  

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ROSCOE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION TO BE NEXT SATURDAY, JULY 7

Music for the street dance will be provided by country music star Curtis Potter.

The Plowboy Mudbog will be only one of the attractions for Roscoe’s annual Independence Day Celebration next Saturday.  In addition, there will be a parade down Broadway starting at 10:00am, street vendors on Broadway and Cypress all afternoon and evening, live music and a street dance on the stage between the Roscoe State Bank and Old Town Park—and, of course, a spectacular fireworks show.

There will also be plenty of entertainment for the kids as there will be three kinds of bounce houses to keep them busy—one for ages 3-5, a larger one for ages 5-12, and yet another, a twenty-foot slide, for ages 12 and up.

This year’s live music will be provided by country music star Curtis Potter.  More information about him can be found by clicking here. 

Complete details about the celebration will be provided in next week’s Roscoe Hard Times—but make plans now to attend.  You don’t want to miss it.

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THIS YEAR’S PLOWBOY MUDBOG PROJECTED TO BE THE BEST YET

Organizers of this year’s Independence Day Plowboy Mudbog expect it to be the biggest and best yet as some of the most well known mud boggers in the region are planning to compete here. 

This will include for the first time “Bug Nasty” and “Headhunter” from Hobbs, New Mexico, as well as contestants from Amarillo, Odessa, Ballinger, Colorado City, Roscoe, and elsewhere. 

The mud track, just beyond right field of the baseball park, will be 200 feet long and go from two-feet deep to four-feet deep in good ol’ squishy Roscoe blackland mud.  Winners are those that go the farthest before coming to a halt. 

Entries will be in five classes:

1.    Street: 35” tires and under with limited engine modification
2.    Super Street: 35” with engine vac under 13”
3.    Modified: 36” to 39” with limited engine modification
4.    Super Modified: 36” to 39” with engine vac under 13”
5.    Open: 40” and over.  

Since there’s an advantage in going last rather than first, each truck takes two runs, with the second run in reverse order from the first. 

The registration fee for entries is $30 with the winners of each class taking the fees as prize money.

Registration begins at 11:00am on Saturday in front of the baseball field at Second and Sycamore Streets. The public gate will open at 11:00am.  Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for kids from 8 to 14.  Children 7 and under are free.  All proceeds go to benefit the Roscoe baseball little league and the Roscoe FFA. 

For more information, contact Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384 or David Pantoja at 325-280-1917.

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A TRIP TO HAWAII AND MY DISCOVERY OF MESQUITE TREES THERE

This is the kind of view of Hawaii you'd expect to see, except that those trees out on the point are mesquites.

For those of you who are interested, my trip to Hawaii was a nice break from the west Texas heat.  One of my daughters was there house-sitting for a friend who was on a month-long vacation to Canada.  I’d never been to Hawaii, so when she invited me out and told me her friend was happy to let me stay at her house, I felt that I should take advantage of the opportunity.

I spent my entire time there on the biggest island, Hawai’i, which is the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.  It has three major mountains on it, all volcanoes, many unusual sights, and miles and miles of beaches and shoreline.  The island has a wet side and a dry side, and each has its own characteristics. 

The wet side is lush and tropical with more weird and unusual plants than I’ve ever seen in one place.  The dry side, which averages only ten to twenty inches of rainfall a year, is in some ways unique and in others surprisingly familiar for someone from west Texas.

My biggest surprise was in discovering that large parts of the dry side of the island are covered with—get this—mesquite trees!  No, I am not making this up and am posting photographs to prove it. 

One day my daughter said we should go to Kiholo Bay Beach, which is a great place for swimming and also where big wild sea turtles come to shore to sun on the rocks.  The beach is public, but to keep it from being overrun by tourists, the locals purposely post no signs to it and have blocked off road access so that the only way to get to it is to park at an unmarked spot near the road and then hike down a mile or so through the woods—which is what we did.

On the hike down, I was struck by how much the landscape resembled west Texas—and how much the trees were like mesquites.  Then I looked more closely at one and noticed that it had beans hanging from it as well as the characteristic mesquite leaves, thorns, and limbs.  I then realized the whole countryside was covered with what were unmistakably mesquite trees and that the wild goats we encountered there are living on mesquite beans.

I was mystified by this discovery until later on when we did some research on the computer and found out that in 1828, a South American priest, Father Bachelot, the head of the first Catholic mission to Hawaii, planted a mesquite tree on the grounds of the mission, and all the mesquite trees in Hawaii have descended from that single original tree.

The priest introduced them to control soil erosion, but they quickly spread and are now a permanent fixture in the dry areas.  In Hawaii they are called kiawe trees, and their wood is prized for barbecue, just like it is here. I tasted one of the mesquite beans, and they taste as you would expect but without the bitterness you find in the local mesquite beans. 

My image of Hawaii will never be the same after discovering how common they are there. 

Photos of my trip are available for viewing by clicking here.  

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WEATHER REPORT

I don’t know what it was like before Tuesday because I wasn’t here, but the temperatures have hit triple digits every day since then with Tuesday at 105°F, Wednesday at 106°, and yesterday about the same. 

The forecast for today is for a high of 99° and tomorrow 98° with Sunday in the mid-nineties.  There is no rain in the forecast.

--o--

No Roscoe Hard Times this week.

There will be no issue of the Roscoe Hard Times this week as ye olde editor is in Hawaii.  I will return on June 25.  Aloha!

Asleep at the Wheel to Play Here Friday Night

Roscoe’s growing reputation as the music Mecca of West Texas will advance to another level Friday night when nine-time Grammy Award winners Asleep at the Wheel perform on the outdoor stage of the Lumberyard.

Led by Ray Benson, who also hosts the television series Texas Music Scene, the group has been a fixture of Texas music since the seventies, appearing on Austin City Limits a record ten times.  They have been named the Best Country Music Band by Rolling Stone magazine, toured Europe, and appeared in the movies Roadie and Wild Texas Wind.

The group starred in the musical A Ride with Bob, about Bob Wills, which played to standing-room-only houses in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, and won a regional Emmy Award.  When it played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, it was attended by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. 

In fact, the group would have played in the White House but never made it because they were scheduled for the fateful September 11, 2001.

In 2007, they practically swept the Austin Music Awards, winning Band of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (Benson), Country Band of the Year, Record Producer of the Year (Benson), Male Vocals of the Year (Benson) and Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year (McQueen).

In 2009, they collaborated with Willie Nelson to produce the album "Willie and the Wheel," which has several western swing classics.  It was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. 

They are members of the Texas Music Hall of Fame and have received numerous other major awards. 

The recent appearance of the Bellamy Brothers at the Lumberyard drew a crowd of over seven hundred people, and a similarly sized crowd, if not more, is expected Friday night.

The cover charge will be $12, and the show begins at 9:00pm. 

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ROSCOE PADRES ARE COLORADO CITY LEAGUE CHAMPS

Top of the Heap: The Roscoe Padres (Padres photos courtesy of Lus Pantoja.)

The Roscoe Padres are the Freshman League Champions of the Colorado City Baseball League and will go on to the district playoffs in Hawley in July.  Exact dates and opponents have not yet been set, but the games will be during the week of July 9th.

The Padres’ last week of the regular season was an exciting one.  They entered it in first place with only a single loss to the Colorado City Reds.  But then they lost to the Colorado City A’s and were thrown into a three-way tie with the Reds and A’s. 

The next game against the Reds was a gimme, since only eight of their players showed up and they were forced to forfeit, taking them out of contention.  That left only the A’s and the Padres, so everything came down to the final game between the two teams.

The A’s jumped out to an early lead and by the third inning had a six-run lead over the Padres.  But the Padres battled back and tied the A’s in the final inning, throwing the game into extra innings—which they went on to win by a single run to become the league champs.

Later, in a game played to determine second place, the A’s held off the Reds and will also advance to the district playoffs.

The Padres players are Clemente Aguayo, Gage Braden, Sean Cuellar, Francisco Garcia, Diego Garza, Derrick Hudson, Jose Ortega, Paul Pantoja, Adrian Rangel, Zack Rangel, Ethan Scott, Konner Turney, Jazmine Alvarez, and Jovana Peña (the only two girls to play in the league). 
  
Padres Coaches are Edward Garcia and David Pantoja—and thanks are due to proud mom Lus Pantoja, who provided me with all this information. 

--o--

COTTON CROP OFF TO GOOD START

Cotton planting has been going on around Roscoe for the past couple of weeks and is 80% to 90% complete in most places.  

Despite washout from recent rains necessitating some replanting around Champion, the area crop seems to be off to a promising start with good stands and healthy young plants. 

--o--

CITY INVITES INDEPENDENCE DAY PARTICIPATION

The City of Roscoe hopes to make this year’s Independence Day parade the best ever and is asking for your help in making it a success.  The parade, which begins at 10:00am on Saturday, July 7, will kick off a day of celebration full of fun and activities culminating in live music, a street dance, and a fireworks show. Line-up for the parade will be on W. Broadway at 9:30am, and judging will be at 9:45am. 

Parade organizers are looking for creativity and variety.  Float awards will be presented to best overall, best western, and most patriotic, and prizes will also be awarded for the best bicycles, antique vehicles, motorcycles, semis, and farm implements.   

For more information, call Valerie Pruitt at 325-338-4666.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT

After a week of unseasonably mild temperatures, the weekend heated up with Saturday’s high in the upper nineties and Sunday topping out at a torrid 104°F.  At midnight that night, it was still 87°F.

Monday’s similar heat produced an afternoon thundercloud that cooled things off and brought the double rainbow pictured at the top left as well as strong wind gusts, but no more than a sprinkle as far as precipitation was concerned. 

The forecast is for a 30% chance of rain tonight but no more after that.  Temperatures the rest of the week should be typical for this time of year with highs in the low nineties and lows in the low seventies.

--o--

No Roscoe Hard Times this week

There will be no regular issue of the Roscoe Hard Times this week due to a death in the family.

--o--

† LAURA FAY WILSON DUNCAN 

Funeral services for Laura Fay Duncan, 105, will be held on Wednesday morning at 10:00am at the First United Methodist Church in Roscoe, followed by interment in the Roscoe cemetery.  There will be a visitation on Tuesday evening, 6:30-8:30 at McCoy’s Funeral Home in Sweetwater.   Mrs. Duncan passed away on Saturday, June 2, 2012, at Sweetwater Healthcare Center.

Laura Fay Wilson was born in Cisco, Texas, on May 7, 1907, and graduated from Cisco High School in 1924.  In 1928, she graduated with a B. A. in English from Texas Woman’s College in Fort Worth and that fall began her teaching career at Divide, where she taught for two years.

In 1930, she moved to Roscoe, where she was the high school English teacher until 1939.  The seniors of 1939 dedicated the annual to her, and that same year she retired from teaching and married Everett Duncan, who remained her husband until his death in 1978.  In 1941, she completed her M. A. at Hardin-Simmons University.  She had three sons: Joe, Edwin, and David, and spent the forties and fifties raising them.

As long as she was able, she was active in church and community and for many years was well known as a public speaker who gave talks to women’s clubs and organizations all over the big country.  An artist, she also taught art classes and worked with ceramics, and over the years made too many quilts to count.  One of her paintings of a desert flower is in a museum in Arizona.  

A lifelong Methodist, she had been a member of the Roscoe congregation since 1930 and taught Sunday School there for over seventy years.  

She lived at home until she was 100 but had been at the Sweetwater Healthcare Center since November 2007. 

This past month was proclaimed “Laura Fay Duncan Month” in Roscoe by the Mayor and City Council, and in 2007 she received a similar honor and was Grand Marshal of Roscoe’s July 4 parade.

She is survived by three sons: Joe and wife Tove of Lillesand, Norway; Edwin of Roscoe, and David and wife Rebecca of Roscoe; eight grandchildren: Hans, Erik, and Heidi, all of  Norway; Vanya of Denver, Colorado; Mary Grace and Laurie of Atlanta, Georgia; Karsten of Sacramento, California, and Katherine of Houston; and six great-grandchildren.   

Pall bearers will be Lonnie Orman, Landon Orman, Pete Porter, Billy Joe Jay, Kenny Landfried, Gary Pieper.  Honorary pall bearers are Arlon Wayne Orman, Harold Duvall, and Darrell Aljoe.

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