Top houses picked in decorating contest

By Sam Waller

Five homes in Albany were recognized for their holiday displays by judges of the Albany Chamber of Commerce’s house decorating contest.

The home of Samantha Isbell was awarded first place with a prize of 100 Albany Bucks.

Second place went to Red and Shirley Alexander, who received 75 Albany Bucks.

Third place and 50 Albany Bucks went to Jeff and Gaye Davis.

The Isbell and Alexander homes are repeat winners.

Receiving honorable mention were the homes of Steven and Kathryn Sutton and Cliff and Mary Rose.

Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones said it was difficult to determine how many homes were included in the judging.

 “People contacted other people besides me to nominate,” she said. “And the judges out driving around could nominate a house themselves.”

She said that the variety of decorations made for difficult decisions.

“The Alexanders’ decorations are always neat because they do basically the same thing every year. I think the Isbells this year did more than they have before, and that put them over the top,” Jones said. “Jeff and Gaye’s house is gorgeous anyway, so pristine and well put together, where the Suttons’ is fun for kids, and the Roses’ lights are always beautiful.”

Upcoming Event

Jones said the Chamber’s next event will be an Albany Stars party in the early part of 2022.

“We haven’t scheduled it yet, but this event will be sometime between January and March,” she said. “We’ll recognize people for outstanding work that they do in Albany. Most likely, it will be held at the Aztec Theater.”

Jones said membership renewal notices will be sent out in January.

“People can pay by PayPal and Venmo,” she said. “I’ll be sending out notices by email to some folks, and they can actually pay through our website.”

Jones said payment can also be made by check, which may be mailed or delivered to the Chamber office.

Memorial Ornaments

Memorial ornaments may be picked up at any time, Jones said.

“Just go by the tree and grab yours,” she said.

The tree is located in the Bank Park and will remain there for the next two weeks.

“We’ll start taking down decorations during the week of Jan. 3,” Jones said, “but the final takedown will be that Saturday.”

She added that volunteers will be accepted to help with the work.

“We will try to get the majority of the stuff down and not have to have a big work day,” she said. “We’ll see how that goes.”

Holiday Schedule

Jones said Chamber hours over the next week will vary depending on activity and her availability. Anyone needing to conduct Chamber business should contact Jones at 325-669-1831.

The Christmas and New Year’s holidays will also affect the Chamber schedule. There will be no Chamber luncheon on Friday or on Dec. 31. The Chamber office will be closed both days.

Jones said she expects to get back to a regular schedule after the start of the new year.