Show barn to debut new look
By Donnie A. Lucas
A ribbon cutting is set for 1:00 p.m. Friday at the Shackelford County Show Barn to give the public and involved officials a look at the recently improved facility.
The ribbon cutting is being sponsored by the Albany Chamber of Commerce immediately following the usual Friday lunch meeting.
The event is open to all residents, including donors, livestock show officials, county officials, anyone who helped with the project, or residents who are interested in seeing the upgrades.
The Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association began fundraising efforts in the spring, ultimately raising about $350,000 to bring the 50-year-old structure up to date.
“We started out trying to raise $150,000, and that quickly trended upward and the scope of the remodeling expanded thanks to the generosity of local donors and several corporate contributions,” Mike Parsons said. “Everything that has been done was needed. We just didn’t know that we would be able to get it all done at the same time.”
Improvements included roof repairs and expansion of the parking lot completed by the county, along with closing in the south side of the building and installing three large roll-up doors. Also, the entire pen area now has a concrete floor which will help exhibitors keep their pens cleaner and eliminate much of the dust that was stirred up from the dirt floors.
All-new exhibit pens were installed, as well as exhaust and ceiling fans, new LED lighting and electrical repairs, expanding the size of the concession stand, and a new bright paint job throughout.
“We are about 90 percent complete, and we want the community to come look it over,” Parsons said. “We have our first big event this week.”
The slab has also been poured to extend the current cattle barn to be the same depth as the rest of the building.
“We are going to wait until it’s a little cooler to finish the cattle barn extension,” Parsons said. “Everything should be finalized in October.”
Parsons called the response to the fundraising efforts “amazing.”
“We want to thank the county commissioners and judge for the authority to proceed with the project, and all the donors and volunteers who made it possible,” he said. “The ag programs involve the largest number of students at both schools in the county, and they now have a facility that should be able to serve them for years to come.”
