This photo was posted May 11th by Debbie Wium on her facebook page. The picture was taken by her husband, Manie Wium, looking east from Jason Wright's barn 2 miles west of Friona.
FHS principal Erika Montana announced two upcoming events involving the Class of 2020. The Senior Parade is a new event and is an alternative way of honoring Seniors in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Graduation Ceremony will be held a week later than usual in order to comply with Governor Abbott's requirements regarding public graduation ceremonies.
Senior Parade is May 22nd
Since a formal Senior Reception is not possible this year, Friona High School will conduct a Senior Parade at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22nd. Seniors will begin lining up at 6:15 p.m. in front of the elementary/junior high on Euclid, just like the parades held during Maize Days.
The parade will begin facing north on Euclid, then turn right onto 10th Street. Coach Arias and his helpers will be there to direct drivers when to turn onto Main Street. The parade will proceed south down Main Street and will then turn right onto 5th Street and travel west to Grand Street. The parade will then turn right at Grand Street and in two blocks turn left at Chieftain Way and end up in front of Friona High School.
Seniors will be awarded their scholarships, receive their honor cords and stoles, athletic awards, and academic awards during this parade. Awards will be announced and handed out to each Senior as they pass through the City Park area of Main Street.
Parents, guardians, or family members will drive for the Seniors in the parade. They will be able to hear the presentation of the awards. Cars can be decorated as long as they are school appropriate. Other family members and friends will be able to be parked around the streets that are blocked off, but they will have to stay in their cars. Friona High School would like to extend its gratitude to the City of Friona for allowing this to happen by blocking off the streets, Friona Police for providing safety services during this parade, WT Services who will broadcast on the local Channel 6, and the countless others who will come together to make this a memorable event.
Graduation Ceremony is May 29th
Friona High School will hold its 2020 Graduation Ceremony at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 29th at Chieftain Field. Each member of the Senior Class will be allowed to invite 4 guests (includes children) to attend the event. Guests will be screened as they enter the stadium and will sit in designated areas according to social distancing guidelines. School officials and Seniors will also adhere to distancing guidelines on the field and stage. Everyone will have to exit the stadium and leave the parking lot immediately following the ceremony. The Graduation Ceremony will be closed to the general public.
After much consultation and consideration, the Friona Fine Arts Council has announced that its 2020 Summer Drama Workshop has been cancelled. Factors such as district-wide construction and the need to err on the side of extreme caution due to the spectre of COVID-19, made the very difficult decision to cancel a necessity.
SDW Production Coordinator Allison Johnston said, "Please know that this decision was not made in haste, but after many tears and much reflection. The safety of our precious children is paramount." Last year marked the 50th anniversary of Summer Drama Workshop and featured the return of past directors and participants to help celebrate the milestone.
Allison continued, "Thank you for your understanding, and know that we love you all so much and will miss the magic that is Summer Drama more than you will ever know." If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Allison Johnston at 806-220-1610 or via email at allisonj1960@hotmail.com.
By Emma Rector
Nacho Man, that's what us girls would call him. Always eating nachos in the high school hallway before any sports game. Waiting to cheer the home team on. Little did I know that was Dale Houlette until my senior year. While I was the Lions Club Sweetheart I had the privilege of getting a better insight into who he was. Always kind and wanting to help the community. From sitting by him repeating what was said by the group so he could understand during meetings, answer all his questions about how sports were going, to riding in the parade while he drove and Chris rode in the passenger seat. I'm thankful for all the sweet memories I have with him. And what a wonderful community member we had in him. He was loved my many and will be missed.
Wednesday, May 20th
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Building will be open.
Please turn in your library books or pay your fine.
Thursday, May 21st
Northeast corner of Jr. High gym
6th grade - 9:00 a.m.
7th grade - 10:00 a.m.
8th grade - 11:00 a.m.
We will be handing out report cards/awards, picking up chromebooks,
and taking pictures for the yearbook as well!
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Not safe to go back in the water...yet. The City of Friona has decided not to open the swimming pool this summer. City Manager Lee Davila said, "After researching best practices for pools amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we don't think we can meet the best practice standards." The recent rise of coronavirus cases in the county was also a factor in the decision. Davila continued, "If things change later in the summer, we could have the pool ready in about 2 weeks' time."
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Sign up is now underway for the 12th Annual Pudge Kendrick Memorial Golf Tournament to be held July 25th and 26th at the John Pitman Golf Club in Hereford, Texas. The annual event is a 36-hole two-person scramble and space is limited to the first 80 teams that register. Proceeds benefit the Parmer County and Hereford Cancer Coalitions which provide grants for local cancer patients. The entry fee is $300 per team and you can call the John Pitman Golf Club at 806-363-7139 to sign up.
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A "Retiree Parade" will be held on Tuesday, May 19th to honor seven FISD employees who are retiring this year. The parade will start at 10:00 a.m. on Euclid Street and will encompass 5th St., Grand, 9th St., Arrah, Western Edition, Springfield and Etta, Cottonwood Apartments, the City Park, and conclude back at the Primary School. Employees to be honored include Karen Barns (15 years), Judy Rhodes (40 years), Kathi Miller (30 years), Linda Welch (19 years), Loy McLellan (45 years), Beverly Ingram (27 years), and Lupe Shelby (15 years).
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The Friona Noon Lions Club has created a Dale Houlette Scholarship Fund at Friona InterBank to accept donations in honor of Dale. He was a founding member of the Noon Lions Club in 1968. Proceeds from the fund will provide scholarships for Friona High School graduates. Donations will also be made to the Texas Lions Camp in his memory.
Texas Lions Camp offers a number of types of camps each summer, which are divided into three categories: Camps for children who have physical disabilities, camps for children who have Down Syndrome, and camps for children who have type-1 diabetes.
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National Days
May 14 — Dance Like a Chicken Day
May 15 — NASCAR Day
May 16 — Armed Forces Day
May 17 — Cherry Cobbler Day
May 18 — Visit Your Relatives Day
May 19 — Devil's Food Cake Day
May 20 — Rescue Dog Day
The Parmer County Commissioners Court met in regular session on Monday, May 11th at 10:00 a.m. in the County Courtroom of the Parmer County Courthouse in Farwell, Texas. The meeting began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and the Texas Flag. Commissioner Wilkins (Pct. 2) was absent.
There were no public comments. The Minutes from the April 27th meeting were read and approved. Commissioners approved the payment of the accounts payables as presented by County Treasurer Sharon May. The Treasurer's Report was also approved.
The Janitorial Contract for the Parmer County Courthouse and Parmer County Law Enforcement Center was renewed with Becca's Quality Cleaning.
Approval was given to reschedule the next Commissioners Court meeting for Tuesday, May 26th because the original date of Monday, May 25th is the Memorial Day holiday.
Commissioners voted to purchase another Electronic Pollbook from Election Systems and Software, LLC. The county had originally purchased 10 new voting machines and only 9 pollbooks. One of the voting machines was designated as a backup in case of an emergency. However, each machine has to have a pollbook in order to function. Cost of the additional pollbook was just under $2000 and the county now has 10 fully operational voting machines for the fall election.
Bovina ISD made a request to utilize a portion of its Permanent School Funds for the district's current construction project. Bills which totaled $122,229.32 were submitted and the court approved them for payment.
Sheriff Randy Geries reported to the court that the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) has grant money available for counties to use in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The minimum grant is $10,000 and is also available to cities. The PRPC serves the top 26 counties in the Texas panhandle. A possible use for the funds would be the installation of another "negative pressure" cell at the Parmer County Law Enforcement Center. Currently there is only one such cell and it is for male inmates. The projected cost is $15,000 for an additional "negative pressure" cell for female inmates. The intended use of the "negative pressure" cell was to separate an inmate who may have TB. Now, it could also be used for an inmate who has possibly contracted the coronavirus. Another possible use of grant money would be the installation of more plexiglass shields in the courthouse offices.
Judge Ellis reported that 19 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Parmer County with 7 recoveries. Judge Ellis would also like to encourage everyone to wash your hands often, wear a mask, stay 6' away, and stay safe!!!
All meetings are open to the public. The Commissioners Court reserves the right to go into Executive session at any time. Go to parmercounty.org to find meeting agendas. Information in this article is only a summary. Any questions concerning specific actions should be directed to the court.
Texas Panhandle:
2642 cases, 38 deaths
Armstrong County: 2
Briscoe County: 1
Carson: 3
Castro County: 23
Childress: 2
Collingsworth: 4
Cottle: 4
Dallam County: 15
Deaf Smith County: 59
Donley County: 26
Gray County: 76
Hansford County: 13
Hartley County: 8
Hemphill County: 1
Hutchinson County: 21
Lipscomb: 2
Moore County: 535
Motley: 1
Ochiltree County: 29
Oldham County: 3
Parmer County: 22
Potter County: 1,327
Randall County: 413
Roberts County: 2
Sherman County: 23
Swisher County: 12
Wheeler County: 15
Eastern New Mexico:
52 cases, 1 death
Curry County: 32
Quay County: 5
Roosevelt County: 12
Union: 3
Oklahoma Panhandle:
446 cases, 4 deaths
Beaver County: 20
Cimarron: 1
Texas County: 425
Texas:
41,048 cases
1,133 deaths
22,674 recoveries
United States:
1,370,016 cases
82,389 deaths
Worldwide:
4,281,838 cases
292,619 deaths
County Disaster Declaration (English)
March 16 FISD Letter (English) (Spanish)
March 31 FISD Letter (English) (Spanish)
Letter from City Manager (English) (Spanish)
Friona Community Helpline (English)
2-1-1 Texas Social Services Hotline (English)
Share The Facts about COVID-19 (English) (Spanish)
What You Need To Know (English) (Spanish)
What To Do If You Are Sick (English) (Spanish)
County Clerk PSA (English)
Chamber of Commerce Letter to Businesses (English)
Friona Interbank Lobby Closed (English)
FISD Emergency Resolution (English)
