Special activities continue for 2nd Fandangle weekend

By Donnie A. Lucas

A variety of activities are planning for the second weekend of performances for the Fort Griffin Fandangle on Friday and Saturday.

Free events during the final two days of the show include a quilt show, tracker organ concerts, a pet parade, calliope concerts, car museum, viewing the Picket House, longhorns on the Courthouse Square, a film at the Aztec Theater, exhibits, and activities at the Old Jail Art Center including a traditional Native American dance performance, plus several others.

Shopping will be available at downtown stores and from vendors at the Bank Park.

Restaurants around town will be open for business, along with  Joe Allen BBQ served at the Bank Park. A lunch special will be available on both days of the show, as well as a full barbecue dinner starting at 5:00 p.m. each evening.

The Happy Grill Food Truck will also be set up across Main Street next to The Albany News.

The Icehouse will have live music on the patio during the Fandangle on Friday and Saturday provided by The Clearfork Boys from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m.

Visitors are encouraged to tour the Fort Griffin State Historic Site, a few miles north of town.

A more condensed schedule of events also appears elsewhere on the page as an ad that can be cut out.

Quilt Show

Members of the Albany Study Club are sponsoring their annual quilt show at the Whitney Theatre in downtown Albany, and the free event is open to the general public from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Fandangle days.

Also on display at the quilt show will be the Study Club’s annual raffle quilt.

Raffle tickets cost $5 each or five tickets for $20.

Tickets may be purchased from Study Club members, at the county library, or at the quilt show.

Concerts

•Local musician and Fandangle organist Sandy Abel will play each day at the Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church on its unique Tracker Organ from 4:00 until 5:00 p.m.

•Louann George will play the calliope at 7:30 p.m. at the Prairie Theater prior to the start of the Fandangle.

Tours and Museums

•The Flying A Car Museum will be open from 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday performance days.

•The Aztec Theater will show Making a Difference, Robert Nail and the Fandangle on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

•The Picket House and the Shackelford County Courthouse will be open for viewing from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., hosted by the Shackelford County Historical Commission members.

•The Old Jail Art Center will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. with free admission for all activities.

In addition to summer exhibits and displays of items in the museum’s permanent collection, the OJAC will also host a special performance of traditional Native American dancing on Saturday from 1:00 until 2:00 p.m.

Fandangle-themed grab-n-go crafts will be available both days in the trunk located outside of the gates.

Additional studio and gallery activities can be found inside the museum.

The OJAC is featuring three exhibits for the summer including Technicolor Summer from the permanent collection, Paper Chase, works on paper from Rodney and Stacy Rogers and the Carter/Wynne Collection.

Also, the ongoing cell series has a show by Colette Copeland entitled “My Jesse James Adventure.”

For more information on any events, contact the OJAC at 325-762-2269.

•A special “pop-up” art show will be featured the second weekend of Fandangle at the Studebaker Building (Musselman office) on the north side of the Courthouse Square featuring the works of five emerging Texas artists.

The show is entitled “Not From Concentrate” and was curated by Albany native George Kelly. It will be open to visitors free of charge from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. on June 24 and 25.

Longhorns

Several animals from the official state herd of longhorns at Fort Griffin State Historic Site will be on the Courthouse Square from 2:00 until 8:00 p.m. each night of the show.

Other members of the herd will be in the Fandangle and at the park.

Pet Parade

Pets of all sizes, shapes, and colors are invited to participate in the free annual Fandangle Pet Parade to be held at the Bank Park at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 25.

Pet owners are encouraged to dress pets in their best wild west attire.

Prizes will be awarded for Best Dressed, Most Creative, Most Unique Pet, and Best Fandangle Costume.

Pets can be pre-registered at the Fandangle office or by calling 325-762-3838 until Friday, June 24.

Registration begins at the Bank Park at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 25.

Shopping Downtown

Albany merchants offer a wide variety of items for sale.

Several of the store owners have decorated their downtown windows with special memorabilia and/or historic items for the Fandangle season.

Most shops downtown have extended hours on performance days.

Fort Griffin

Historic Site

The historic partially restored frontier fort is located several miles north of Albany on US Hwy. 183.

A few camping sites are still available at Fort Griffin for both weekends of Fandangle, but they are filling up quickly, according to assistant manager Eric Abercrombie.

Fort Griffin is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Admission fees are $4 for adults, free for those five and under, and $3 for students and anyone over 65. Special rates are available for families. Any special program is included in the cost of admission to the park. Camping sites require an additional fee.

For more information or to reserve a camping site call 325-762-3592.