Albany school students will be dismissed for the Thanksgiving holidays on Tuesday, Nov. 20 with a noon release time.

Classes will also be released slightly earlier on Monday, when the district will enact the usual Friday schedule, with all classes being released by 3:00 p.m.

In fact, the Friday schedule will be used starting on Thursday, Nov. 15, when the staff and student bodies at both campuses will get out early so Albany Lions fans can travel to San Angelo for the bi-district game against Rocksprings.

Students and teachers at Nancy Smith Elementary School are wrapping up a full week of Grandparents Week celebration.

“Granparents Week is going really well,” said administrative assistant Stephanie Gleitz. “We have had a great turnout.”

NSES students’ grandparents and “substitute” grandparents were invited to join their family members for a special lunch, classroom visits, and entertainment during Grandparents Week Nov. 12-16.

Friendship Baptist Church members are inviting everyone to attend the church’s third annual “Harvest Acres” this Saturday, Nov. 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to buy homemade baked goods, purchase handcrafted gifts, eat a hot meal, or just “come by and drink some coffee and visit for a while.”

The gift and food bazaar will offer a wide variety of baked and craft items for sale. 

The annual community-wide Thanksgiving service will be held at the Albany Church of Christ this Sunday, Nov. 18, at 6:00 p.m., and everyone is invited to attend the Ministerial Alliance sponsored event.

“We hope that a lot of people will attend,” said pastor Sonny McCauley.

First Baptist Church pastor Jeff Turner will deliver the message, and other members of the Alliance will also participate in the program.

Music will include congregational singing.

An offering will be taken to benefit the 2018 Ministerial Alliance Christmas Basket ministry.

The Albany Ministerial Alliance is once again sponsoring the Christmas Basket food program, and for the first time this year, Alliance members are adding a new drive to help with the cost of Christmas gifts for local teens.

“Believe Trees,” similar to Angel Trees in other programs, will be located in several locations around town, according to Alliance president Brad McBee.

Christmas Baskets

Shackelford County senior adults (50 and up) are invited to attend the Shackelford County Resource Center’s November senior luncheon to be held on Friday, Nov. 16 at the Youth Center beginning at 11:00 a.m.

“The theme for November is Thanksgiving,” said RC program assistant Ragan Riley. “Everyone is encouraged to bring a guest to this luncheon.”

The guest can be anyone, of any age, for whom the senior is thankful, according to Riley.

“They can bring a child, grandchild, neighbor, or anyone,” said Riley.

Republic Services, trash pickup contractor for the City of Albany, will run on a slightly different schedule for the week of Thanksgiving.

Residential trash containers and business and industrial containers normally picked up on Thursday will change to Friday next week. Normal Friday residential service will be on Saturday, as will business small containers.

This schedule applies only to the week of Thanksgiving.

The annual Albany Chest campaign is in full swing with half of the money requested already donated to the charitable fund, but just a short six weeks left to finish the drive. 

Directors set a goal of $42,000 for the 2018 campaign, and this Tuesday morning, treasurer Paige Adair reported that $21,432 had been raised so far. The committee still needs to receive another $20,568 to hit the targeted amount.

Twenty-six different organizations, including two new applicants, submitted requests for this year’s funding, all of which were considered by the board.

The local prom dress ministry has moved to a new home at First Christian Church and will be directed by Tammy McBee.

“Lori Reames from Closet Angels called and asked me if I would take over this ministry so it could continue to be a blessing for the community, and offer it a new home,” said McBee. “I asked the Church, and they said, ‘Of course!’ And they figured out a room that we could use for the dresses.”

Two Shackelford County 4-H members are competing in the District 7 Food Show today, Nov. 15, in Abilene.

Johnnie Hise of Moran is competing in the Senior Main Dish category, and Riley Reames of Albany has entered the Intermediate Main Dish category, according to County Extension Agent Michaela Bradford.

The contest is being held in the Big Country Hall at the Taylor County Expo Center.