No injuries reported in Friday crash

Dalhart police, Dallam County deputies and Dalhart fire responded to a vehicle crash about lunchtime Friday. Two pickups and a SUV mixed it up at 7th and Denver, no major injuries were reported and the cause was still under investigation Friday.

Library celebrates Earth Day with Beeswax reusable food wraps

The Dallam-Hartley County Library celebrated Earth Day on Friday with live demonstrations on how to make Beeswax Reusable Food Wraps. The library also offered take-home kits on how to make the wraps. At left, Library Director Kinsey Nicholson demonstrates making a wrap to Suzanne Meyer. The reusable wraps help reduce the carbon footprint by eliminating the need for plastic or foil wraps.

A Colorful morning at Dalhart Junior High

Participants in Saturday morning’s Color Run at Dalhart Junior High celebrate the end of the race with a splash of colored powder. The run featured a 5K and a mile fun run for kids and adults. Sponsored by the Dalhart Junior High School PTO, the purpose of the run was to enhance and support the education experience at the junior high. Saturday’s race was the first since 2018. See more photos on Page 10.

Dalhart Senior Center hosts Meals on Wheels

The Dalhart Senior Citizens Center played host to a special appreciation luncheon for
Meals On Wheels volunteers on Wednesday afternoon. Meals on Wheels has been serving
the residents of Dalhart for 35 years and receives its meals from the Dallam-Hartley
Hospital district.

City council, school board candidates outline platforms at ‘Rise and Grind’

With the Dalhart City Council and Dalhart Independent School District elections set for May 7, 2022, candidates for both elections spoke at the Dalhart Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Rise and Grind’ breakfast on Wednesday morning at the Dust Bowl Bar and Grill. City council candidates Frankie Scott, Tim Yee, Dwayne Smith, Michelle Griffin and Mario Garcia Jr. were joined by school board candidates Maegan Frische, Joni Atha and Curtis Lockhart, with each candidate giving a brief bio and answering a set of pre-determined questions from moderator Jesse Torres of KXIT radio.

Hartley firefighters battle grass fire off State Road 281

Hartley firefighters were dispatched to a grass fire off Highway 281 near Spirit Trail and Frank Phillips College in the area of X10 restaurant on Wednesday afternoon.

Community lays out desires for school facilities

Dalhart Independent School District residents had another chance to hash out what improvements they would like to see in the district’s schools at a special meeting of the school board of trustees on Thursday evening. The meeting was one in a series of community meetings designed to find out what facility improvements are most pressing for the district’s school children.
School Board President Bob Bailey asked the large crowd in attendance at the district administration office what facilies - if any - need to be replaced.

Dalhart Cruzers install wheelchair ramp

The Dalhart Cruisers banded together last week to install a wheelchair ramp for a local individual in need. From left, Bryan Brewer (President), Jared Lenz (member), Berto Gordon (Secretary), Doug Howell (Vice President), David Carter (Treasurer), Wade Lenz (member), Jim Page (member), Dale Cleavenger (member) Mendi Cloxton (Nurse and member), Michael Bigler in wheelchair.

Egg Scramble

Kids made a mad dash for Easter eggs during the annual XIT Rangers Easter egg hunt on Sunday afternoon. More than 2,500 plastic eggs filled with candy and other prizes were scooped up in less than five minutes. See more photos on Page 10.

Hospital Board presents nursing home plans to Dalhart city council See GOALS on page 2

By Shawn Yorks
Dalhart Texan

The Coon Memorial Nursing Home in Dalhart is nearing capacity, and the Dallam-Hartley Counties Hospital Board of Directors has been making plans to build a new facility. The board has chosen a site for a proposed 90-bed facility just south of the Frank Phillips College Dalhart campus off State Highway 281, and made a presentation to the Dalhart city council on April 11, 2022 to show the proposed location and talk about lease options.

Dalhart Sanitation Department wins recycling award

Dalhart Junior High students submitted logo designs for the April 23 junior high PTO Color Run and the winners were announced Tuesday morning, from left, 1st place winner Lismary Gonzalez, 2nd place Daliah Michelle Flores, 3rd place Maria Briano and 4th place Xavier Lusk. A total of 96 students submit a logo design. Lismary’s design will be featured on T-shirts presented at the color run.

Dalhart Junior High Color Run logo contest winners

Dalhart Junior High students submitted logo designs for the April 23 junior high PTO Color Run and the winners were announced Tuesday morning, from left, 1st place winner Lismary Gonzalez, 2nd place Daliah Michelle Flores, 3rd place Maria Briano and 4th place Xavier Lusk. A total of 96 students submit a logo design. Lismary’s design will be featured on T-shirts presented at the color run.

Dalhart Senior Center is ‘A dream fulfilled'

By Shawn Yorks
Dalhart Texan

Barbecue and all the fixins, peach cobbler and ice cream, and gentle country-style music brought together friends and colleagues for the Dalhart Senior Center’s annual Donor Appreciation Dinner on April 7. Donors and retiring board members were honored as the center celebrated 31 years

West Texas A&M Jazz Band holds free concert in honor of Dalhart’s Rahll family

West Texas A&M University president Dr. Walter Wendler, right, speaks in front of a photo of Gene and Louise Rahll at the La Rita Theatre in Dalhart on Saturday, April 9, 2022. The West Texas A&M University Jazz Band gave a free concert - ‘Showcase in a Suitcase’ - in tribute to the Rahlls and their establishment of an endowment providing permanent funding for WT’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. See more photos on Page 10.

Dalhart holds community Easter egg hunt on courthouse lawn

Kids of all ages gathered on the Dallam County Courthouse lawn Saturday morning for the annual Easter egg hunt. For a dollar per ticket, kids could enter into drawings for cool prizes such bicycles and a skate Board. See more photos from Saturday’s festivities on Page 10.

TV and Me!

By Jonna Lu Bridgman

I am part of the last generation who remembers the world before television. Now, we have instant news. It’s much the same as instant coffee or instant potatoes, something that takes longer seems to be better. Even during the more recent Vietnam War, (I know that it wasn’t really a war) we didn’t learn the facts right away.

The first time I saw a television set was sometime in the early 1950’s. My parents took me to Tim Field’s house and there it was! All we saw was the test pattern, but it was grand!

When I was in the fourth grade, I came home from school one day and there was something strange on the north outside of our house. I didn’t know what it was! Inside, I found that our family now had a television set. The tall steel tower outside held the antenna. I believe the Gallo family had already gotten their TV set. For a short time, our house was where all the kids in the neighborhood would gather. Maybe our set, being newer, seemed to be better. Briefly, I was popular. At least in the 1200 block of Scott Street!

Those early days of TV were nothing like the cable, satellite, or streaming of today’s world. We had three channels: 4, 7, and 10– all out of Amarillo. Television broadcasting stopped after the ten o’clock news.

Many of the early TV shows involved cowboys: The Lone Ranger (Hi, Ho, Silver!), Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Gunsmoke, and Rawhide to name a few. Some western shows were just for kids: My Friend Flicka, Fury, and Mr. Ed (A horse is a horse, of course). By the time Mr. Ed came on, I thought I was too old for kids shows!

One of my favorite memories of early tv was the kit my mother ordered. In the kit was a piece of thin, green plastic. When it was attached to the screen (by static electricity), the kids in the household could use the special crayons and draw along with Jack Barry the narrator.

The kit, including the plastic film and crayons, cost a whole 50 cents! That was a lot of money in the 1950’s. Bill Gates praised the production as the “first interactive TV show”. And to think that I got to take part!

On Saturday afternoon a country singing group came on that I chose to hate, Honest Jess and the Playboys. After that I decided that I didn’t like any country music. I didn’t know at the time that some of the popular songs were actually “crossover” tunes (recorded as country, popular in pop). Examples would be Elvis and Johnny Cash. I remember actually kissing the TV screen when Elvis was on! (Stupid girl!)

We all came to love the local celebrities such as Bob Izzard and Dan True. The technology of the time was very limited. The weather was mostly reported “after the fact”.

Saturday morning was just for kids. We had Dudley Do Right, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mighty Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and many more.

Some kid’s shows were designed to help us learn such as Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Wizard.

The evening shows were calm compared to the ones of today.

When choosing from the three channels we would find The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It To Beaver, or Father Knows Best. (Were those families really that perfect?) I Love Lucy was a favorite of many. Some were mysteries including Dragnet (“just the facts, ma’am” and “only the names have been changed to protect the innocent”).

The commercials of the early days were much different than those of today. Some we remember by the song. “Pop, pop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!” and “From the land of sky blue waters!”. You kids under 50 will have to ask your grandparents about these. It was okay to advertise cigarettes back then. We would hear about the smooth flavor of Lucky Strike or Pall Mall. Of course we had the breakfast cereals: “Snap, crackle, pop”.

The soap operas moved into the television era from radio. The little lady of the house could watch “As the World Turns” or “The Edge Of Night”. Once, I went home at noon with my friend Carol and there was the whole Bryant family, sitting with their TV trays watching a soap opera!

At least two new terms came with the era of early TV’s. We had TV trays and TV dinners. There were no TV sets in the dining room or kitchen. We also had a magazine called TV Guide. Back then there was an important person– the TV repairman.

All of the early TV shows were in black and white. Color TV didn’t come along until the 60’s, and then only if your family had a color set. Television sets were enormous, thick boxes. There was no such thing as a remote control.

I have always preferred to read rather than watch TV. I have an old picture of myself near the TV reading a book! Today, I no longer have cable and have never had satellite. When I’m not reading, I watch TV by way of You Tube plus many other streaming apps.

Yes, we have come a long ways. I’m not sure it’s for the better. I still enjoy watching The Andy Griffith Show and remembering “the way it was.”

Sheriff’s deputies and an AMR ambulance crew responded to the scene of a multi-vehicle accident

Dalhart Police, Hartley County Sheriff’s deputies and an AMR ambulance crew responded to the scene of a multi-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 87 at 16th Street on Monday, April 4. The vehicle collision took place as school was letting out for the day.

High volume of wildfire activity expected this week as dry conditions persist

By Texas Agrilife Extension

Wildfire activity is expected to gradually increase throughout the week, as periodic critical fire weather occurs where very dry vegetation is present across West and South Texas.

Dalhart Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a collision

High Flyers Gymnastics of Hartley had 14 athletes compete at the STTA State Championships, held in Canyon, March 28-29, 2022. The following athletes qualified for Nationals this summer in Phoenix, Arizona: Jacie Trefethen Rissa Johnson Kaydi Funderburg Brett Haisten Kadence Copley Lennon Johnson There will be one more shot to qualify at our meet next month in Fort Worth. Jacie is State Champion in Double Mini! Level 7 ages 13-14. Gauge is State champion in trampoline! Level 6 ages 11-12. Kaydi placed 2nd on double mini, level 5 ages 13-14 and Gauge placed 2nd on tumbling and double mini. level 6 ages 11-12. Kaydi placed 3rd on trampoline, and Brett placed 3rd on double mini! both level 5 ages 13-14. The team had had several top ten finishes overall in their respective levels and age groups.

High Flyers compete in STTA State Championships

High Flyers Gymnastics of Hartley had 14 athletes compete at the STTA State Championships, held in Canyon, March 28-29, 2022.