Volunteers to place fall decor Saturday along Main Street

By Kathy Thomson

Fall officially starts next Monday, Sept. 23, and the Albany downtown area will soon be dressed for the autumn season.

The Albany Chamber of Commerce is heading up the fall decorating project that has attracted a considerable amount of drive-by attention the last few years and is expected to do so again this fall.

“We’ll be decorating downtown for fall  on Saturday, Sept. 21, starting at 8:30 a.m.,” said Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones. “Anybody who wants to help is welcome! We will meet at the Depot.”

Chris Beard’s ag classes cut stalks of cane on Tuesday morning, and Chamber treasurer Lisa Barton is gathering up additional decorations.

“We’ll use the cane along with leaves, dried Indian corn, and a few cowboy hats,” Barton said. “We want to make the town festive and decorative for fall.”

The autumn decor will be up to welcome exes back to Albany for Homecoming on Sept. 27 and visitors to town for the Fort Griffin Barbecue Cook-Off on Saturday, Sept. 28. The decorations will continue to add color to downtown Albany throughout the fall season. 

“I think that when people driving through Albany see all the decorations, they are more inclined to stop, walk around, and shop in the stores,” said Barton. “Besides observing the season in general, we have so many things coming up in Albany, so we like to decorate for fall.”

Among other events on the calendar the next couple of months are the Friends of Fort Griffin Gala, Living History Days, golf tournaments, Bethel’s “The Patch,” Matthews Memorial’s “Bazaar,” and the opening of deer, quail, and turkey seasons.