Special activities continue for 2nd Fandangle weekend

By Donnie A. Lucas

Visitors and locals alike will be able to partake of a variety of activities offered in Albany this weekend prior to the final two performances of the Fort Griffin Fandangle.

Free events will be offered on Friday and Saturday including a quilt show, tracker organ concert, calliope concert, car museum, viewing the Picket House, longhorns on the Courthouse Square, exhibits and craft kits at the Old Jail Art Center, plus several other activities.

Shopping will be available at downtown stores and at a few non-food vendors will be 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 Icehouse is offering an outdoor chuck wagon style breakfast again this Saturday morning, June 24, from 7:00 to 9:30 a.m.

Visitors are also welcome to tour the Fort Griffin State Historical Site, a few miles north of town.

Quilt Show

Members of the Albany Study Club will sponsor 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. The winner will be announced before the final Fandangle performance.

Musical Events

Local musician and Fandangle organist Sandy Abel will give a concert on the Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church’s Tracker Organ from 4:00 until 5:00 p.m. each day of the Fandangle.

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

Tours and Museums

•The Icehouse Restaurant is featuring live music on Saturday, June 24 from 3:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight. Jeff Martin will take the stage from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., followed by the Clear Fork Boys with special guests playing from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. Michael Gilliam will take over at 8:00 p.m. and continue until midnight.

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

•The Picket House at the Bank Park and the historic Shackelford County Courthouse will be open for viewing from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

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

In addition to summer exhibits and displays of items in the museum’s permanent collection, Fandangle-themed grab-n-go crafts are available in the trunk located outside of the gates.

The OJAC is featuring two exhibits for the summer including Cheyenne Ledger Drawings: Stories of Warrior Artists. Also, as part of the ongoing Cell Series in one of the original Old Jail galleries upstairs, Corrie Thompson is presenting a show entitled “Droughts and Deluges.”

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 historical site.

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 24.

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 on the Fandangle’s Facebook page.

In-person registration begins at the Bank Park at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Shopping Downtown

Albany merchants offer a wide variety of items for sale.

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

Many of the retail stores will have extended hours on Fandangle performance days.

Fort Griffin

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

A few camping sites were still available as of Monday at Fort Griffin for this weekend of Fandangle. 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.