By Sam Waller

Six Albany High School seniors received $1,000 scholarships Friday, May 26 from Albany Masonic Lodge during commencement exercises at the high school gymnasium.

Graduates London Fuentes, Presley Green, Brooke Kayga, Gracie Price, Michael Sadler, and Briley Tabor were recipents of this year’s scholarships.

Lodge member Bob Skelton said the number of scholarships awarded was one more than in 2022.

“We gave five scholarships last year,” Skelton said. “We had another worthy applicant this year.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

About 75 tickets remain for the Albany Live! concert on Saturday, June 10 at the Aztec Theater featuring the band Shenandoah, which is on a 35th anniversary tour.

Tickets are available online at www.albanylive.org. Just 10 reserved seats were available on Monday for $100 each, while  65 general admission tickets at $75 each were available.

The $50 VIP add-on has sold out for this show. The add-ons allow ticket holders to enjoy food and drink after the performance and meet the artists.

By Sam Waller

Albany’s Kiana Roberson has been named a Texas Girls Coaches Association Track & Field All-Star after earning two medals at the Class 2A state meet.

The TGCA selects a maximum of 24 all-stars from Class 1A-4A and Class 5A-6A. Roberson was among 23 honorees in Class 1A-4A.

Athletes are selected by the TGCA Track Committee, composed of track member coaches of the association, at their annual meeting. Selections are made from nominations submitted by member coaches. Athletes must be juniors to be selected.

The Albany Golf Club (AGC) announced the release of a new logo this week, as members prepare to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2025.

The club, which was established in 1925, decided to update the branding in order to increase visibility and attract new players.

“The Albany Golf Club has been a part of this community since 1925, and we wanted to make sure that our brand accurately reflected who we are and what we stand for as we look towards our centennial year,” said club president Ronnie Anderson. “We are confident that this new logo will help us achieve those goals.”

By Sam Waller

Albany’s Landon Kreit­ler showed his skills Friday-Tuesday, June 3-6 at the Angelo State Cheer and Mascot Camp.

Kreitler, an incoming junior, will serve as mascot for the Albany cheer program starting this fall.

“This was our first time to send a mascot to an away camp, and we weren’t sure what to expect,” Albany cheer sponsor Nickie Leveridge said. “Landon went in with an open mind and a willingness to work hard and was very successful. He did well and brought home several awards for Albany.”

By Sam Waller

A total of 30 members from the Albany High School Class of 2023 took part in the Project Graduation party, with 20 staying until the end of the all-night event.

Members of the Albany Lion baseball team left early because of playoff games the next day.

The party, which began at 10:30 p.m. Friday, May, 26 and finished at 5:00 a.m. Saturday, May 27, was held at various locations on the campus of Albany Junior/Senior High School.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lion baseball team’s annual Long Ball fundraiser has been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 11 at the high school field.

In addition to viewing a little baseball action, attendees can also play trivia for prizes. Refreshments such as lemonade and sweet tea will be available.

Players have been accepting pledges for how far they can hit the ball. Each will hit five fair balls with the longest determining the amount of the donation.

By Sam Waller

Albany’s Team GreaseWorm not only completed the Nail Ranch Buffalo Run Adventure Challenge, but did so with no mechanical failures.

The third annual event, a fundraiser for Buffalo Gap’s Camp Able, entailed making a round trip on June 1-3 from Buffalo Gap to Abilene, Kansas, in a vehicle valued at no more than $750 while completing a series of tasks along the way. Team GreaseWorm – Robert Snyder, Craig Winters, Matt Birkla, and Kennith Waters – made the journey in Snyder’s 1965 Ford station wagon despite the fuel gauge not working.

By Sam Waller

That buzz of excitement in the air is for the start of the Shackelford County Library’s annual children’s story hour this Friday, June 9.

The summer reading program starts at 10:00 a.m. Friday at the library with a special presentation by The Bee Man from Stamford.

The rest of the sessions will be held on Tuesdays. Organizer Janna Ledbetter said the first one had to be on a Friday because of scheduling needs.

The theme this summer is animals, with future sessions focusing on chickens, horses and goats.

By Sam Waller

Two Shackelford County 4-H members were cited for their work in the state photography contest this week.

Results were announced Monday, June 5 at the State 4-H Roundup in College Station.

Faith Fry was awarded Blue Ribbon Quality Awards for the Catch-All and Shadow/Silhouette classes. Fry also received Red Ribbon Quality Awards for Elements of Design and Plant Flora, and a White Ribbon Quality Award for Animals (Wildlife).

Riley Reames received a Green Ribbon Quality Award for Animals (Domestic) and a Red Ribbon Quality Award for Landscape.