Chamber gets back in swing with Ball
By Sandy Morris
The Whitney Theater was the site of the Albany Chamber’s Hereford Ball on Saturday, Feb. 27, 100 years after the original ball in 1921.
Albany Chamber of Commerce director Mary Beth Jones said she and other organizers enjoyed having such a diverse group of people together for the evening.
“It was fabulous seeing all the past, present, and future residents and Shackelford County supporters join together to celebrate our heritage,” said Jones.
John Dudley was the after-dinner guest speaker, entertaining the crowd with Hereford history and personal anecdotes.
Later in the evening, music for dancing was provided by Sonny Burgess and Jolie Holiday’s band. Treca Edington and her Prairie Star staff prepared and served the food, and Melissa Williams of the Icehouse handled the drinks for the evening.
Guests at the ball said the entire night was full of fun, good music, and great food and drinks.
“I really enjoy seeing the old historical events come back to life,” said Steve Waller. “My wife Susan really enjoyed the festivities. Overall, it was an enchanting evening.”
Due to COVID concerns and social distancing restrictions, Chamber board members had made the decision several months ago to limit seating, but that didn’t keep the event from selling out.
“We were very sad that every Chamber member could not receive an invitation because the number we wanted to invite just wasn’t feasible,” said Jones. “However, we were so fortunate that COVID numbers have decreased, vaccines have been given, and people made the choice to start bringing Albany back to life.”
Jones was very appreciative of the Hereford Ball committee that included Kalico Leech, Jamie Parsons, Amber Boland, Megaen Birdwell, Lacey Anderson, Lisa Barton, and Robin Balliew.
“I had the best ball committee around who were instrumental in coming up with ideas and putting everything together,” Jones said.
The committee was appreciative of all community members who loaned historical Hereford memorabilia to be used as decorations for the ball.
“Tisha Wilkins, John Caldwell, Kay True, Clayton Snyder, Amber Boland, Sally Porter, and Watt Casey were some of the community members who contributed to the wonderful history of the ball with loaned memorabilia,” said Jones.
Nancy Birdwell who also contributed decorations to the ball, said this was the best event she had ever attended.
“I’ve been to a million parties, and I’ve never seen a party any better than the one Saturday night,” said Birdwell. “It was warm and fun, the food was great, people were dancing and mingling and very comfortable. I saw people there who believed in what the Chamber is doing.”
Jones said the success of the event and the demand for additional tickets has already prompted discussions for the next celebration.
“The board is thinking about another big event in the future,” Jones said. “Obviously, we are just starting with ideas and have no solid plans yet, but we know the community will support whatever they decide. We hope that we will have no COVID issues moving forward and that all Chamber members will have the opportunity to attend.”
Organizers want to be able to include Cook Children’s Hospital board members and CEOs as guests for the next event.
“We want to invite these individuals to come learn about how Albany not only started the hospital, but continues to send oil royalties to help keep it going,” Jones said. “Sonny Burgess and Jolie Burgess, who provided the music Saturday night, work at the hospital making recordings with children who are sick. They would like to bring some of them next time to perform with them.”
Jones said one of the highlights of the night was seeing history being passed down to the next generation.
“There were many excited people with past history of Shackelford County visiting with the young people who will step up and carry on our traditions and keep our heritage going,” said Jones.
Crawfish Boil
The annual Chamber Membership Drive Crawfish Boil has been scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 1.
The event will be held at the Albany Golf Course and is in appreciation for current Chamber members, as well as an opportunity to join the Chamber.
Albany Bucks
The Chamber recently sponsored a drawing for Albany Bucks during the week of Valentine’s.
For every $10 that shoppers spent at a locally owned, participating store, a ticket was given to be entered into a drawing for a $50 Albany Bucks gift certificate.
Winners were Mary Boland, Sara Baily, Shayna Duke, and Sabrina Swedlund.
Albany Bucks can only be used at personally owned businesses or restaurants that are Chamber members.
