By Donnie A. Lucas

Officers for the Albany Chapter of the National Honor Society were elected last week and upcoming projects were discussed for the 2021-2022 school year.

Sarah Cotter was selected as president, with Luke Ivy named as vice president. Susie Cormack was picked as the secretary for the year, along with Clara Holson as treasurer and Ty Everitt as reporter.

All of the officers are seniors and were inducted into the organization last fall.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany’s Ragin’ Red Band will compete on Monday at the UIL area contest at Wylie High School in Abilene.

The band will step off at 2:15 p.m. at Wylie’s Bulldog Stadium, serving as the first band in the line-up. Albany will compete in the Class 2A competition, hoping to earn an overall rating of Division I from the judges to advance to the regional marching contest on Oct. 30 in Amarillo.

“What we have been working so hard for is now here,” director Will Vaughan said. “We will keep working hard this week to prepare.”

By Sam Waller

Albany FFA member Kenzie Neve placed eighth in her weight class recently at the State Fair of Texas with a Shorthorn steer.

Neve was originally entered in the British breeds, but was “classed out” and ended up in the All Other Breeds division against mostly crossbred cattle, according to Albany FFA sponsor Chris Beard.

“She did well, because it’s a really competitive show,” Beard said.

The State Fair run opened Sept. 24 and will conclude Oct. 17.

Neve also exhibited last week at the Heart of Texas Fair in Waco.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Early voting for the Nov. 2 amendment election begins in Texas and Shackelford County, on Monday, Oct. 18 with the eight propositions ranging from not allowing the state to prohibit or limit religious services to one permitting charitable raffles at rodeo venues.

Shackelford County Clerk Cheri Hawkins said in-person early voting will be held on the first floor of the Courthouse through Friday, Oct. 29. 

By Sam Waller

The Albany Parent-Teacher Organization is seeking volunteers to work at Fall Fest later this month on Saturday, Oct. 30.

The event is scheduled for 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Nancy Smith Elementary School.

“If anybody would like to volunteer to help work a 30-minute shift, the PTO would be extremely grateful,” PTO president Malarie Sutton said. “Cleanup is hopefully going to start around 7:30 p.m.”

To volunteer or for more information about the event, contact Sutton at 325-762-6368.

There will be some changes to this year’s event, Sutton said.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Join friends and fellow Albany Lion fans in the parking lot of the Old Jail Art Center Friday, Oct. 15, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. for the annual taco tailgate party. 

“Meet outside the museum at 5:00 p.m. for tacos and tunes before the Albany home game,” said OJAC membership and development coordinator Susan Montgomery. “Bring the whole family to have a great time. Activities will include a piñata and fun crafts for the kids!”

By Sam Waller

The Albany Mainstreet Players annual Murder Mystery Dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 19 at the Beehive Saloon.

The theme for the AMP fundraiser is “A Beverly Hillbilly Wedding Rehearsal.” Attendees are encouraged to dress to the nines for the bride or in overalls and flip-flops for the groom.

Cali Ayers Rose came up with the idea for the event.

AMP representative Lorna Ayers said the evening is designed to encourage audience participation.

By Sam Waller

Fort Griffin State Historic Site drew a larger than expected crowd last Friday for the School Day portion of its Living History Days.

Assistant site manager Eric Abercrombie said about 650 school children attended Friday’s program with teachers and parents adding to the crowd.

“I think we exceeded expectations on Friday,” Abercrombie said. “We had the 600 we were anticipating, plus quite a few more than that. A lot of home-school families and a couple of private schools came that we didn’t have on our list.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

The annual Albany Chest campaign is off and running, with directors setting a 2021 goal of $46,000. 

Twenty-six different organizations submitted requests for this year’s funding, all of which were considered by the board during a meeting held on Wednesday, Oct. 7. 

“The goal of the Albany Chest is to enhance the lives of local citizens with the funding that is given to us,” said board president Jana Kitchens. “We do our best to place the money where it will benefit the most individuals across the broadest range of our population.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

Local testing facilities reported 19 positive cases of ­COVID-19 for the week of Oct. 4-8, just one more than the prior week.

According to an update from county judge Bob Skelton, the positive cases were reported by the Shackelford County Health Clinic (SCHC), Resource Care Community Health Center, and the Shackelford County EMS Station. The number of tests administered was not released, but positive results totalled 19 for the week.

SCHC was open on Monday during the Columbus Day holiday, reporting four tests with two positive results.