An Albany Senior “bowl” making the rounds in Albany will be hard to miss and will help keep local seniors from “flushing” away their graduation night. 

All proceeds from the lighthearted fundraiser will be used to provide a safe graduation night at Project Graduation 2019. 

“Project Graduation provides our seniors a secured after-graduation event that lasts all night,” said parent Tami Masters. 

Albany seniors helping with the fundraiser will flush out donations by placing the toilet in unsuspecting Albany residents’ yards. 

Albany alumni, students, and fans should make plans to join in the many Homecoming preparations and activities that will take place over the next few weeks.

Current Albany students will elect the homecoming court next week.

The theme for the parade this year was not yet known at press time.

Classes can spend up to $200 on their parade float, and can start working on floats on Oct. 7.

Oct. 7 will be the traditional street painting day, according to secondary principal Edward Morales.

Fall officially starts this Saturday, Sept. 22, and the Albany downtown area will soon be dressed for the autumn season.

The Albany Chamber of Commerce is heading up the fall decorating project that has attracted a considerable amount of drive-by attention the last few years and is expected to do so again this fall.

“We are going to start decorating at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22,” said Chamber treasurer Lisa Barton. “Anybody willing to help is more than welcome to join us.”

The fourth annual Ft. Griffin BBQ Cook-Off is set to take place in downtown Albany the last weekend in September, and among the 20 or more teams that have paid the $150 registration fee to enter the event are some well-seasoned local veterans that took home prize money last year.

More entries are expected to enter the “Battle for the Blade and World Championship Dove Competition” as the event, which is sanctioned by the International Barbeque Cookers Association, approaches.

Shackelford County commissioners agreed to make adjustments to the Courthouse clock chimes and added repainting of the fire escapes as a change order during a session on Monday, Sept. 10.

Later in the meeting, the elected officials adopted a budget of $4,184,823 and the proposed tax rate of 61.51 cents, both with no discussion.

They also voted to send an invoice for $25,000 to Callahan County as part of an agreement in a jail billing issue.

Clock Chimes

This Saturday and Sunday, the Shackelford County show barn will host the 32nd Annual First Impressions Invitational Pig Sale, and organizers are expecting 19 consignors from four states to bring 125 pigs for the competition and sale. 

Local 4-H and FFA members worked to insure that the facility was cleaned up for the Sept. 15-16 event.

“We had a great turnout of kids and their parents for the cleanup day last Saturday,” said Shackelford County agent Michaela Bradford. “With all the help, it only took about an hour.”

The Albany Masonic Lodge hosted a breakfast for the First Responders of Shackelford County on Tuesday, Sept. 11, with 17 volunteers and emergency workers served. 

The date marked the 17th anniversary of the attack by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. 

Peace officers, dispatchers, jailers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel from across Shackelford County gathered at First Christian Church for the event. 

Boys and girls from kindergarten through fifth grade who are interested in joining Cub Scouts should attend a meeting at the Nancy Smith Ele-mentary School cafeteria at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20.

Formerly restricted to boys, Boy Scouts of America began allowing girls to join Cub Scouts in June. 

In February 2019, the Boy Scouts program will be called Scouts BSA, and will welcome girls to join. However, boys and girls will be in separate troops.

Registration for the General Education Development (GED) class in Albany took place last Monday, Sept. 10, but the program is still accepting new enrollees, according to local instructor Kenzie Fairchild.

“We will accept new applicants on each Monday,” said Fairchild. “They should be at least 19 years old and must have an ID to register.”

Albany High students interested in attending a ACT test prep workshop to be presented by Chad Cargill in Anson on Oct. 4, need to sign up with Dee Dee Waggoner before the end of school tomorrow, Sept. 14.

The Academic Booster Club will cover the $30 per student fee, and bus transportation and a lunch will be provided.

Cargill raised his own ACT test score from 19 to 32 by taking the test multiple times, learning what was on the test, and how to take it.