Special activities planned during next 2 weekends
By Donnie A. Lucas
Visitors and locals alike will be able to partake of a variety of activities offered in Albany this weekend and next during performance dates for the Fort Griffin Fandangle.
Free events will be offered on all four of those days including a quilt show, tracker organ concert, calliope concert, 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, 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’s BBQ served at the Bank Park. A lunch special will be available on all days of the show, as well as a full barbecue dinner starting at 5:00 p.m. each evening.
The Icehouse will have live music on the patio during the Fandangle festivities, including The Clearfork Boys on the first Friday and Sweet Mother TX on the first Saturday from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
On the first Saturday, Lone Fugitive Michael Gillam will play from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight at the Icehouse.
Visitors are also welcome to tour the Fort Griffin State Historical 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 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 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 both Saturday performance days at 3:00 p.m.
•The Picket House and 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 for all activities.
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 Family Festival: Inti Raymi – an Inca Sun Celebration scheduled from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 18.
Fandangle-themed grab-n-go crafts will be available both weeks 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 work of five emerging Texas artists.
The show is entitled “Not From Concentrate” and was curated by Abany native George Kelly. It will be open to visitors free of charge from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. June 24-25.
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.
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 18.
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 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.
Many of the store owners have decorated their downtown windows with special memorabilia and/or historic items for the Fandangle season.Some shops have extended hours on performance days.
Old Fort Griffin
The historic partially restored frontier fort is located 15 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.
