Trick or treating will involve some older youth again this year, including Albany High School student council members who will be out in local neighborhoods to “Trick or Treat for Change” on  Tuesday night, Oct. 30 starting at 6:30 p.m.

“There will be about 45 kids, from grades seven through 12,” said student council sponsor Donnie Lucas. “They will go door to door asking for contributions.”

With the 2018 “Red Ribbon Week” campaign winding down, organizers still have quite a bit more planned for local students on Thursday and Friday.

Red Ribbon Week in Albany this year began on Monday, Oct. 22. The annual campaign is recognized not only locally but across the state and nation.

This is the 30th straight year that the event has been conducted in Albany. The campaign is designed to draw as much attention as possible to the problems of drug and alcohol abuse, some of the leading causes of drug abuse, and its prevention.

Motivational speaker Shannon Pickard will be entertaining and educating students at Albany High School today at a 10:00 a.m. assembly.

Pickard, who is from Kilgore, started his own entertainment company while in high school and later launched it into a career in comedy, acting, and music. He has been the co-host, producer, and writer of Teen Talk, a regular on For Better or For Worse, and did multiple movies in Hollywood before returning to Texas to become a pastor, motivational speaker, author, and cofounder of the band “Tin Umbrella!”

The Albany band received an overall rating of III at the East Zone Region 6 Marching Contest at Wylie Bulldog Stadium earlier this week.

The Ragin’ Red Band was the second one to compete on Monday, Oct. 22, taking the field at 3:00 p.m. The 25 members of the band performed Rise of the Phoenix, which was written for the band by Luke McMillian, according to AHS band director John Stockdale.

Bands from Class 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A schools were at the UIL sponsored contest.

Everyone is invited to attend a free presentation at the Aztec this Sunday given by an explorer who has been on an archeological expedition to Mount Ararat trying to find Noah’s Ark, and who was a member of the 2017 team that found a cave known to have contained some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the first such discovery since 1956. 

Bruce Hall’s 2013 climb and search for Noah’s ark was documented in the 2015 released film Finding Noah, an Adventure of Faith.

Paul Johnston met Hall recently, and the chance encounter led to this Sunday’s presentation.

Albany High School seniors Cutter Edgar and Madison Wilkins were crowned 2018 Homecoming King and Queen during halftime ceremonies last Friday night during the Lions’ 48-12 win over the visiting Baird Bears before a large homecoming crowd.

Wilkins and Edgar were presented as part of a field of eight senior class candidates, four boys and four girls. 

The two were chosen by the entire student body by secret ballot last week after each class at Albany High School had nominated a senior boy and girl for the honor. 

More than 50 Albany ex-students from as far back as seven decades attended the homecoming business meeting last Saturday morning at the Aztec Theater, representing classes from the 1940s to the 1990s.

Also present for the first part of the meeting was Ryan Hill, Class of 2019, who led in the Pledge of Allegiance

Association chair Betsy Senter greeted those present, and recognized the honor classes of 1967 and 1968.

Guests at a Murder Mystery hosted by Albany Mainstreet Playhouse on Tuesday solved a who-done-it while enjoying dinner and drinks at the Aztec, and as of press time, tickets were still available for tonight’s all new interactive mystery.

Tickets are $50 each, and can be purchased by calling Ragan Riley at 214-663-3271.

“We need to have time to get the food ready,” said Riley, “so we need to have the tickets purchased at least three hours before the event starts.”

With the induction of 16 new members, the AHS National Honor Society now includes (front, l-r) Jaleigh Morales, Addison Asher, Alayna Koemel, Julia Bowman, (2nd row) Tyler Beard, Taylor Scott, Max Balliew, Conner Clark, Seth Hale, (3rd row) Ivie Zuniga, Aubrey Moon, Ben West, Brayden Sullivan, (back) Alyssa Zuniga, Cutter Edgar, Haley Stewart, Jillian Guinn, Caroline Masters, Madison Wilkins, Blaine Kayga, and (not pictured) Gracie LeMay.

The Albany High School Ragin’ Red band will compete at the UIL East Zone Region 6 Marching Contest at Wylie Bulldog Stadium in Abilene on Monday, Oct. 22.

The competition begins at 2:45 p.m., with the Albany group’s performance scheduled for 3:00 p.m. 

The contest program is Rise of the Phoenix, according to AHS band director John Stockdale.

The band director is concerned that the band will not be rated as high as usual.