By Melinda L. Lucas

The Albany Volunteer Fire Department held its first “Birds and Burgers” fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 3 during the opening weekend of dove season.

With over 210 hamburgers cooked, the volunteers considered it a huge success.

“The Albany community showed up in a big way, and we appreciate it,” said fire chief Travis Gardenhire.

At one point, Gardenhire said, cars were lined up all along Railroad Street, waiting for their chance to drive through the fire station and grab a bag of burgers.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Directors of the Albany Chest met on Wednesday, Aug. 31, to organize the 2022 fundraising drive, elect three board members, and vote on officers.

The deadline for organizations to turn in funding requests was set for Friday, Sept. 30, and the board’s next meeting will be held at The Feed Store on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 5:15 p.m. to evaluate the applications and decide on the fundraising target for the 2022 Chest drive.

Last year, a goal of $46,000 was set, with $50,751 raised and $51,050 distributed.

By Melinda L. Lucas

The City of Albany will test the emergency warning siren at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, Sept. 14, as it does the second Wednesday of every month, depending on the weather.

The tests keep citizens familiar with the three warning sounds, and they are also used to make sure that the siren, computer, software, and radios are working correctly.

The siren should sound one of the three emergency tones at noon on that day, but the siren is not tested if the weather is questionable, according to local fire chief Travis Gardenhire.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The 36th annual First Impressions Invitational Pig Sale is set for this weekend at the county show barn, with 135 pigs from 16 consignors from seven states to be sold on Sunday.

Proceeds from the sale benefit the Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association for capital improvements or to help fund the county stock show held in January.

The show starts at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, with a champion and reserve to be named for both barrows and gilts. The live-auction sale will follow at 1:00 p.m.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Enrollment for local GED classes has been set for Monday, Sept. 12 at the Shackelford County Library starting at 5:30 p.m., according to instructor Kenzie Fairchild.

Anyone interested in enrolling in the free classes must bring a photo identification and Social Security card in order to sign up.

The classes are open to students age 17 years or older, but 17-year-old students must have parental consent to register.

Monday’s session will include some instruction after the registration period.

By Sam Waller

Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church will have 30 students for its Mothers Day Out preschool program, which starts Friday, Sept. 9 at MMPC.

Mothers Day Out will meet from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. each Monday and Friday through Monday, May 22, following the Albany ISD calendar for holidays.

Brandi Lehew, who is in her second year as director of the program, said enrollment is up from 24 students last year.

By Sam Waller

Friendship Baptist Church Pastor Paul Johnston will conduct Bible study sessions for Albany and Moran high school students at The Feed Store.

The first meeting of “The Word with Coach Johnston” will be at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11.

While the idea for the group came from Johnston’s involvement with Big Country Fellowship of Christian Athletes camps, he stressed that students do not need to be athletes or FCA members to attend.

The annual “Dollars for Bob’s Scholarships” fundraising drive gets underway later this month.

Sponsored by the Albany Ex-Students Association, the campaign traditionally starts the week of Robert Nail’s birth date, Sept. 13. This is the 55th anniversary of the first scholarship.

Although the annual goal is always set at a minimum of $1,000, fundraising efforts will hopefully bring more in donations.

Regular contributions are very important in keeping the fund stable, according to board secretary Melinda Lucas.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported last week dropped to five positive tests, compared to 18 reported the previous week based on information provided by Albany’s two health clinics.

The weekly report by county judge Bob Skelton issued Tuesday reported five positive test results out of 22 tests administered at the two local clinics for the period of Aug. 29 through Sept. 2.

The use of home testing has increased after tests were made readily available, making it unclear as to the actual number of local cases.

By Sam Waller

Albany’s Dax Neece began his third football season at Abilene Christian with a different perspective on his college career.

Neece, a wide receiver, graduated with a bachelor of business administration in finance in May, then started working on an MBA in June through ACU-Dallas.

“Basically, I take one class for seven weeks, have a week off then take another class,” Neece said. “It’s all online, so it’s really not the toughest schedule for me. It’s nice to take one class at a time.”