Submitted To
THE DALHART TEXAN

Top left, The World’s Largest BBQ included 10,000 pounds of meat Saturday afternoon. Top middle, christiana Dickson rides in the parade Saturday afternoon with the three other queen candidates. Dickson was crowned the 2016 queen Saturday evening prior to the start of the rodeo. Top right, The empty saddle rides through Dalhart in Saturday’s parade.

BY BILL KELLY
THE DALHART TEXAN

The 80th Annual XIT Rodeo & Reunion ended on a high note as Stoney LaRue played at Saturday’s rodeo dance.
LaRue, who was born in Taft, Texas, before his family eventually moved to southeastern Oklahoma, is considered to be a prime example of Red Dirt Country. His music is a mixture of country and heartland rock with a dash of blues thrown in.

By NIXIE SANDERSON
THE DALHART TEXAN

Three nights of rodeo and live concerts, as well as the annual barbecue feed, parade and queen contests, were among the highlights of the 80th XIT Rodeo and Reunion Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Dalhart.

BY BILL KELLY
THE DALHART TEXAN

The yearly XIT rodeo dances usually feature new, up-and-coming acts, whether they’re country or the sub-genre of Red Dirt/Texas country. But every now and then a singer comes to town who has already hit it big, and David Lee Murphy definitely fits that description.

By NIXIE SANDERSON
THE DALHART TEXAN

July broke records for high temperatures across the panhandle, according to the National Weather Service in Amarillo.

BY BILL KELLY
THE DALHART TEXAN

The annual Texas Sales Tax Holiday will be this weekend, Friday August 5 through Sunday August 7.

By IVY HOLLINGSWORTH
THE DALHART TEXAN

Manuel S. Franco, an artist specializing in recreations of southwestern, western and wildlife scenes, makes his 11th appearance as featured artist at the XIT Museum for the 80th annual XIT Rodeo and Reunion.

By ZELDA BETH LANG
THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dallam-Hartley County Hospital District Board met on Thursday evening, July 28. A budget hearing was held at 7 p.m. with the board meeting following the hearing. The board voted to approve the budget.

Leroy Schaffner, CEO and administrator, gave his financial reports for June. The board approved the financials.
Schaffner’s CEO report included admissions to the hospital in June.

By IVY HOLLINGSWORTH
THE DALHART TEXAN

Chanze Fowler launched his career in the Dalhart and surrounding communities by working for the Hartley
County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). After a brief hiatus as Dalhart ISD Police Chief, Fowler is back in Hartley County, pursuing a life long ambition.

Fowler, who came to HCSO from Stratford in 1997, served as a reserve until 2001. He was quickly promoted
to senior deputy and for the next 13 years he served in that capacity, including the nine years he worked as K-9 officer.

By IVY HOLLINGSWORTH
THE DALHART TEXAN

Twenty-five years and almost one million miles ago, Jane Wilkinson took over a postal route—the same postal route begun by her father in Dalhart in 1936—and is now being recognized for her exceptional
service to the United States Postal Service.

By IVY HOLLLINGSWORTH
THE DALHART TEXAN

XIT Queen contestants assembled a fence Friday to partition off a section of land near the rodeo arena for parking that will be used specifically by the queen contestants.

By NIXIE SANDERSON
THE DALHART TEXAN

Frank Phillips College Dalhart Center hopes to expand and improve local educational services with the building of a new campus facility, and held a public forum to discuss the proposal of a new tax to be added to the November ballot.

BY BILL KELLY
THE DALHART TEXAN

Coon Memorial is currently looking for volunteers for their hospice care. When hospice originated in the United
States, its essence was volunteer-based, and therefore Medicare regulations for hospice include the requirement that volunteers provide at least five percent of the time spent on day-to-day hospice operations, which includes both administrative support and patient care.

By ZELDA BETH LANG
THE DALHART TEXAN

The Dalhart City Council met Tuesday night, July 26, and approved the special use permit/property accountability contract.

By NIXIE SANDERSON
THE DALHART TEXAN

Dalhart Consumers will close their doors at noon today and re-open Monday morning as Ag Producers Co-Op.

By ZELDA BETH LANG
THE DALHART TEXAN

Dick Barber has been named the XIT Parade Marshal for the 80t0h XIT Rodeo & Reunion. The parade will be held Saturday, August 6. 

By IVY HOLLINGSWORTH
THE DALHART TEXAN

Tim Bell was honored with a retirement reception Friday, July 22, 2016 for his years of service in law enforcement, including his most recent role for 13 years as the Hartley County Chief Deputy. Bell began his law enforcement career in Dalhart in 1979 at the Dalhart Police Department. Three years later, he became a criminal investigator for the 69th District Court.

By NIXIE SANDERSON
THE DALHART TEXAN

Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Corey Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the Commodity Checkoff Program Improvement Act of 2016 July 14. In a press release from Lee’s office, checkoff programs are mandatory 
participation programs under the US Department of Agriculture. These programs are funded through compulsory fees on producers of eggs, beef, pork and a multitude of other agricultural products. 

By NIXIE SANDERSON
THE DALHART TEXAN

The 2016 Little Mr. and Miss XIT Rodeo and Reunion are Abel DeLeon, age four, son of Savana and Jacob DeLeon and Madison Sanderson, age three, daughter of Jeff and Nixie Sanderson, of Dalhart.

Submitted to
The Dalhart Texan

Students in Marsha Cunningham’s cooking class whipped up tasty treats this week at the Dalhart High School cooking lab.