Tours, concerts, BBQ only part of special events
By Donnie A. Lucas
A wide variety of activities will be offered in Albany during the last two Fridays and Saturdays in June to help entertain the crowds of visitors coming to town for the Fort Griffin Fandangle.
Free events will be offered on all four of those days including a quilt show, organ and calliope concerts, car museum, viewing the Picket House, longhorns on the Courthouse Square, a film at the Aztec Theater, and exhibits and activities at the Old Jail Art Center.
Other no-cost events offered on one performance day only include the annual Fandangle Parade and Fandangle Pet Parade.
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.
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.
Quilts are still needed for the show, and people are requested to bring them to the Shackelford County library by Friday, June 10 to loan them for the display.
Quilts should be placed in a clean plastic bag, with the owner’s name clearly marked on the bag.
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 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 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 Saturdays at 3:00 p.m.
•The Picket House and the Shackelford County Courthouse will be open for viewing from 1:00 p.m. 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-theme 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 Technocolor 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.
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.
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 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 25.
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, and 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.
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.
