Fourteen local third to sixth graders and 11 junior high students from the Albany Church of Christ, along with their team leaders and many parents, attended the North Texas Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) Convention at the Downtown Hyatt Regency in Dallas last weekend, April 19-20.

Both the elementary and the junior high groups participated in chorus, drama, and puppet team events. 

Youth from the Albany Church of Christ have participated in LTC for the last 12 years.

Members of the Albany Church of Christ will hold a celebration this Sunday, April 28, at 6:00 p.m. at The Feed Store in honor of the graduating seniors who have been active in the Church of Christ.

“We do this every year for the Youth in Action teenagers who are graduating,” said pastor Sonny McCauley. “We are inviting the seniors, their families, and our church family.”

Cameron Dacus, Kade Everitt, and Haley Stewart are the honorees this year.

One hundred and ten vehicles entered the 2019 Albany Classic Car Show hosted by members of Albany’s Shifters Car Club last Saturday, April 20, and the judges awarded prizes in 26 classes and also in several specialty categories.

“The car show was awesome,” said show coordinator Robert Snyder. “We had a good turnout with a lot of vehicles that we hadn’t seen before. The weather was nice, and we had plenty of good help.”

The event started on Friday evening with a hamburger supper, a downtown cruise, and the burnout.

Fort Griffin State Historic Site will hold a Stars and Skies party this Saturday, April 27, at 8:30 p.m.

The forecast calls for a low around 61 degrees, mostly clear skies, and a slight south wind. The sun should set at 8:15 p.m. and the moon won’t rise until way after midnight, leaving the late evening perfect for a star party.

Stars & Skies of Texas

Everyone is invited to a May Day Family Festival hosted by the Old Jail Art Center on Saturday, May 4, from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m.

“Bring the whole family and explore the ancient and contemporary May Day Celebration of Spring,” invited education director Erin Whitmore.

She encouraged local residents to investigate collection artifacts and enjoy traditional crafts, games, food, and music inspired by May Day tradition.

Student artwork from Region 14 will be on view in the Stasney Center for Education.

The family festival is free and open to the public.

The 2019 All-Sports Banquet, which honors local students for their participation in high school athletic events, has been set for Tuesday, April 30 at the AHS gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. 

The serving line will begin at 7:00 p.m., according to Athletic Booster Club secretary Tisha Wilkins.

Tickets for the event, with a theme of “It’s Game Time!”, are $15 and are only available at the Albany High School office.

Parents and students not in high school or not involved in athletics need to purchase tickets to the event.

A Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Show Association annual meeting took place as scheduled at the Albany High School ag building on Tuesday, April 9, with a follow-up session held this week.

“There were some things we had to move around, so we had to check on some dates and have a second meeting,” said president Bronco Askew on Tuesday morning. “We need to make sure we can get judges for the new show dates.”

The Albany schools will celebrate the Easter holiday with a 3:00 p.m. dismissal today, a district holiday on Friday, and a student holiday on Monday.

Younger students at Nancy Smith Elementary School had Easter egg hunts planned today. The kindergarten students, assisted by their sixth grade buddies, will fill their baskets at 10:00 a.m., while the Head Start and Pre-K classes will hunt at 1:30 p.m. 

All students will be released at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, April 18 (today). 

Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian holiday that celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, and many churches hold special services on that Sunday and during Holy Week, the days leading up to His crucifixion.

The Ministerial Alliance sponsored community-wide special service for Holy Week was held last night at the Aztec Theater. 

The Alliance will also sponsor its traditional community-wide SonRise service on Easter morning, April 21.

Special services scheduled during the next few days include the following.

Maundy Thursday

Children from Stepping Stones Christian School, Mother’s Day Out, First Love Day Care, Lakey’s Day Care, and Nancy Smith Elementary School’s Head Start and Pre-K classes paraded up the sidewalks of downtown Albany last Friday morning, April 12, to conclude an annual week-long celebration.

Quite a few adults, including shop owners and downtown employees, waited along the sidewalks to hand out candy and other treats as the long line of children and their teachers passed by.