Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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More than a few of us wondered if a Roosevelt County Fair could happen without Lillie Belle Toombs. Lillie Belle, who died early this month at the age of 90, "was the heart of the Home Arts building" for seven decades of Roosevelt County Fairs, according to Connie Moyers, our local extension home economist. Diane Lieb, superintendent of the Home Arts building, said Lillie Belle "exemplified what the county fair was meant to be." In her prime, Lillie Belle had dozens of entries each year: Rows of canned goods, quilts, baked it...
The mid-August aroma of fried food and sawdust, blended with the earthy fragrance of pigs, cattle, sheep and horses, takes me back in an instant to the county fairs of my childhood. We feasted on hamburgers made by Floy Wilbanks and Ida Mae Zimmerman at the American Legion concession stand, fueling ourselves for repeat raids of the Merchants' Building in search of yardsticks and rain gauges. Cotton candy came in only one color — pink — and it was made fresh while we waited, a warm cloud of sugar spun in a giant galvanized tub... Full story
She doesn't use a cell phone and she's never had a credit card, but put 96-year-old Lois Cantrell in front of an organ or piano, and she can still hold her own with the best of them. Lois was the organist at First United Methodist Church in Portales for close to 50 years, according to current organist Bill Wood, who took over the keys and pedals in 1990. While she rarely performs in public these days, she did an hour-long funeral service at the church last week, offering the family of Ila Jean Clark the comforting embrace of...
There's an African proverb that says, "When an old man dies, a library burns down." It honors the loss of a lifetime of memories, experiences, lessons, and stories. But for my dear friend, Richard Lambirth, the proverb might need to be rewritten. Richard died early this month, after a lifetime of seriously collecting books, many reflecting his love of history and the American West. When he learned more than a year ago that he had a fatal illness, Richard and his wife, Bettye, immediately set about cataloging his vast... Full story
For 28 consecutive years, the pony show at the Roosevelt County Fair has included a fuzzy dark buckskin named Leroy, shown by two generations of Joan and Richard Orcutt's family, and familiar to pretty much anyone in the county who owns a saddle. Leroy died this week at the age of 33 1/2, quite a run for a "one in a million pony" who was bought from the Portales Livestock Auction for $154, according to Joan. Leroy safely raised the five Orcutt daughters, and a slew of grandchildren as well. Kid horses are angels with hooves,... Full story
There is nothing like an election year with its endless squabbling to make me feel a bit disheartened about our political process. That's why I was particularly cheered recently to run into a young man I know who graduated from high school last month. He greeted me with a grin and announced, "I voted today!" He then went on to tell me his choices, race by race, sharing who he had voted for and why. It was clear he had given it a lot of time and thought. He had researched the candidates, read up on the issues and, best of...
For 36 years now, the annual KENW tele-auction has been a source of summer entertainment in my house. I love that all of the items are donated (many by local merchants!), and that all of the proceeds help support our very own public broadcasting station. I'll confess that I miss the days when the whole event was conducted live on-the-air with people like Clyde Powell celebrating overbids by crowing like a rooster, and Don Criss hawking peanut butter to the masses, and the late Dallan Sanders humorously challenging viewers to... Full story
Because air conditioners are sentient beings (never try to convince me otherwise), ours decided to call it quits when it saw warmer weather in the forecast. The efficient young man who came by to issue the death proclamation urged us to check the website of a major national retailer because that was where we'd find the best price for a replacement. I did look online, but our replacement cooler has been ordered from a long-time local business. It turns out that our repairman and I have different ways of determining value. Was...
We humans have some unusual traditions, not the least of which takes place each year about this time. We gather together our young who have reached a certain age and declare them to be properly educated. We polish them up, and clothe them in matching billowing robes. Each fact-filled head is topped with a coordinating beanie sewn to a cloth-covered square of cardboard. For a nice finishing touch, a tassel dangles from the top, exactly long enough to tickle freshly-scrubbed chins. We line up these bright-eyed, strangely-clad...
I hope that historians will one day refer to this season as the Great Miller Plague of 2012. I hope this for two reasons: 1) because it fits, and 2) because I really, really don't ever want to see it like this again. Unless you have been truly inundated in the siege of musty miller bugs, as most country dwellers have, you might not appreciate or understand where I am coming from. Having twelve moths in your living room does not count. I have more than that crammed into a single nightlight. But since this column is about...
On the walls at Dora School last week were flyers that read, "Got food? Some don't." In the center was a photo of a young woman known very well to that school. Sarah Walker is a 20-year-old daughter of the Dora community (her real parents are Lisa and Lewis Walker, but many of us claim her). Born with Angelman Syndrome, a rare neuro-genetic disorder, Sarah is mostly non-verbal, but her smile can knock your socks off and her hugs can squeeze you breathless. Sarah's special education teacher, Susie Thomas, gave Sarah a goal...
I am not sure what the official population is these days in Milnesand, but even with a generous mileage allowance, you would be hard-pressed to get into double figures. That is why it is truly amazing to watch this community rally each year to host the High Plains Prairie Chicken Festival. When I say "community," I speak of all of us who belong to this place, including a number of kind-hearted souls who become temporary citizens for a few days each year to help make it work. I cannot think of an able-bodied resident who was... Full story
As surely as the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, we have our own annual migratory milestone in south Roosevelt County. This weekend 100 bird-lovers will flock to Milnesand from seven states and Canada to participate in the 11th High Plains Prairie Chicken Festival, highlighted by treks to the leks (breeding grounds) of our native lesser prairie chickens. Visitors are treated to the grouse equivalent of a junior high dance, with the male birds pulling out all the stops to impress the girls in a most beguiling courting... Full story
A dozen Midwestern college students spent part of their spring break in the Milnesand area last week doing some volunteer work for The Nature Conservancy. On their last night here, my TNC friend, Tish, invited me to stargaze with the group. We walked a couple of hundred yards east of Milnesand on a quiet side road, and then Tish suggested to our visitors that the best way for them to get an unparalleled view of the heavens, with the fewest grass burrs in the bargain, was to lie down on the pavement. Most of these kids hailed...
Science fair season is upon us, and I am sure ours is not the only home sporting a wobbling tri-fold board and a hastily-constructed hypothesis. Due to my inability to say no, I have helped judge a number of elementary science fairs over the years. Based on that experience, I propose a revised scoring rubric with points in only three categories: - Originality. Extra credit for projects that require neither baking soda nor vinegar. - Conviction. I remember a boy whose project theoretically determined the age of fish by...
Science fair season is upon us, and I am sure ours is not the only home sporting a wobbling tri-fold board and a hastily-constructed hypothesis. Due to my inability to say no, I have helped judge a number of elementary science fairs over the years. Based on that experience, I propose a revised scoring rubric with points in only three categories: - Originality. Extra credit for projects that require neither baking soda nor vinegar. - Conviction. I remember a boy whose project theoretically determined the age of fish by...
