Special activities planned during next 2 weekends
By Sandy Morris
The Fort Griffin Fandangle starts tomorrow, and special activities in Albany will begin several hours before the bugler sounds the opening of the Friday and Saturday night shows.
Free events offered on all four of those days include a pop-up art show, quilt show, tracker organ concert, calliope concert, car museum, viewing the Picket House, longhorns on the Courthouse Square, a film at the Aztec Theater, and exhibits at the Old Jail Art Center.
Other no-cost events offered on one performance day only include the annual Fandangle Parade, Fandangle Pet Parade, and Historic Albany Walking Tours.
Shopping will be available at downtown stores and from vendors at the Bank Park.
Restaurants around town will be open for business, and Joe Allen & Beehive BBQ will be served at the Bank Park. The Icehouse will have live music on the patio during the Fandangle festivities.
Several activities are also scheduled at Fort Griffin State Historical Site, a few miles north of town.
Robert Nail Movie
The Aztec Theater will show Making a Difference, Robert Nail and the Fandangle every afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
The public is invited to watch the free showing of a documentary about the Fandangle and its creator Robert Nail.
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.
Concerts
Local musician Sandy Abel will give an organ recital and present an informal lecture on the Historic Tracker Organ at the Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church from 4:00 until 5:00 p.m. each day of the Fandangle.
The MMPC organ was the first one built by Otto Hofmann and was installed in the local church in 1956.
Abel has a Master of Music degree from Hardin Simmons University and has been the church’s organist since 1995.
Louann George will play the calliope at 8:00 p.m. at the Prairie Theater prior to the start of the Fandangle.
The G.P. Crutchfield 1943 steam calliope was built by hand by workers at Marshall R. Young Oil Company and is thought to be the only musical instrument that requires a permit from the State of Texas to be played.
Museums
The Flying A Car Museum will be open from 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
The museum regularly rotates the vehicles that are on display, so that even those who have been to the museum before should drop by again to see the treasures that car club members have parked inside.
The Picket House and the Shackelford County Courthouse will be open for viewing from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The Old Jail Art Center will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
In addition to summer exhibits and displays of items in the museum’s permanent collection, the OJAC will also host several special free events this year including a Historic Albany Walking Tour during the first weekend and a Family Festival: Fandangle Round Up scheduled from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 26.
Fandangle-themed crafts will be available both weeks in the trunk located outside of the gates.
Additional activities can be found in the Family Studio Zone inside the museum.
For more information on any events, contact the OJAC at 325-762-2269.
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 out at the fort.
Herd manager Will Cradduck will also have some of the longhorns in the Fandangle Parade.
Fandangle Parade
The annual Fandangle Parade will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 19.
Plaques and cash prizes will be awarded to the winners in several categories, and there is no charge to enter.
For more information, see the related article in this week’s edition of The Albany News.
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 26.
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 25.
Registration begins at the Bank Park at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 26.
Shopping Downtown
Albany merchants offer a wide variety of items for sale.
Many of the store owners have decorated their downtown windows with special memorabilia and/or historic items for the Fandangle season.
Fort Griffin
The historic partially restored frontier fort is located several miles north of Albany on US Hwy. 183.
Guests can tour the fort between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
A guided tour will be offered on Saturday, June 19 at 9:00 a.m.
Camping sites are still available at Fort Griffin for both weekends of Fandangle, but they are filling up quickly, according to event specialist Eric Abercrombie.
“We are almost completely booked on the first weekend,” Abercrombie said. “The second weekend has more availability, but they are going fast. We still have a few sites with electricity and water on both weekends.”
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 college students, those between six and 18 years of age, and anyone over 65. Special rates are available for families and adult tour groups.
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.
