Preparations made for special events

Various activities are planned to take place in Albany during the last two Fridays and Saturdays in June to coincide with the annual influx of visitors coming to town for the Fort Griffin Fandangle. 

Free activities offered on all four of those days include a quilt show, tracker organ concert, calliope concert, car museum, viewing the Picket House, longhorns on the Courthouse Square, and exhibits at the Old Jail Art Center. 

Other no-cost events offered on one performance day only include the annual Fandangle Parade, Fandangle Pet Parade, Traditional Native American Dance Performance, OJAC Family Festival, and Historic Albany Walking Tour. 

Shopping will be available at downtown stores and from vendors at the Bank Park.

Restaurants around town will be open for business and Fort Griffin General Merchandise Restaurant will serve a $15 per plate barbecue meal at the Bank Park.

Several activities are also scheduled at Fort Griffin State Historical Site, a few miles north of town. 

Quilt Show

Members of the Albany Study Club will sponsor their annual quilt show at the Whitney Theatre in downtown Albany, and the free event is open to the general public from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Fandangle days.

Quilts are still needed for the show, and people are requested to bring them to the Shackelford County library by tomorrow, June 14, to loan them for the display.

Quilts should be placed in a clean plastic bag, with the owner’s name clearly marked on the bag.

Also on display at the quilt show will be the Study Club’s annual raffle quilt.

Raffle tickets cost $5 each, or five tickets for $20.

Tickets may be purchased from Study Club members, at the county library, or at the quilt show.

Concerts

Local musician Sandy Abel will give a concert on the Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church’s Tracker Organ from 4:00 until 5:00 p.m. each day of the Fandangle.

Louann George will play the calliope at 8:00 p.m. at the Prairie Theater.

Museums

The Flying A Car Museum will be open from 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

The Picket House will be open for viewing from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The Old Jail Art Center will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

In addition to summer exhibits and displays of items in the museum’s permanent collection, the OJAC will also host several special free events this year including a Traditional Native American Dancer Performance, a Historic Albany Walking Tour, and a Family Festival: Fandangle Round Up.

For more information see the related article in this week’s edition of The Albany News or call the OJAC at 325-762-2269.

Longhorns

Several animals from the official state herd of longhorns at Fort Griffin State Historic Site will be on the Courthouse Square from 2:00 until 8:00 p.m. each night of the show.

Herd manager Will Cradduck will also have some of the longhorns in the Fandangle Parade.

Fandangle Parade

The annual Fandangle Parade will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 22.

Awards will be given to winners in several categories, and there is no entry fee.

For more information, see the related article below.

Pet Parade

Pets of all sizes, shapes, and colors are invited to participate in the free annual Fandangle Pet Parade to be held at the Bank Park at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 28.

Gift cards will be given to the winners of various categories.

The overall grand prize will be free annual cat or dog vaccines donated by the Albany Pet Hospital.

For more information or to register for the parade call the Fandangle office at 325-762-3838.

Shopping Downtown

Albany merchants offer a wide variety of items for sale.

Many of the store owners have decorated their downtown windows with special memorabilia and/or historic items for the Fandangle season.

Fort Griffin

The historic partially restored frontier fort is located several miles north of Albany on US Hwy. 183. 

In addition to regular self-guided tours of the fort, fort employees will offer guided tours of the fort at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 22 and on Saturday, June 29.

Campfire Tales will offer visitors a chance to hear about the history and lore of longhorns, cattle drives, and frontier times while they are sitting around a campfire on the Great Western Cattle Trail at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 22.

Stars and Skies of Texas star gazing party will be held at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 29.

Camping sites are still available at Fort Griffin for both weekends of Fandangle, but they are filling up quickly, according to event specialist Eric Abercrombie.

“The Shelter is already reserved for both weekends, and the full hookups are also all spoken for on the first weekend,” Abercrombie said. “Some full hookups are available on the second weekend, but they are going fast. We still have sites with electricity and water on both weekends.”

Fort Griffin is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Admission fees are $4 for adults. Five and under visitors are free. College students, those between six and 18 years of age, and those over 65 pay a $3 admission. Special rates are available for families and adult tour groups. 

Guided tours, Campfire Tales, and the star gazing party are all included in the cost of admission to the park. Camping sites require an additional fee.

For more information or to reserve a camping site call 325-762-3592.