The Christmas season has officially begun and preparations are underway for the upcoming 2018 performance of the Albany Nativity.

There is one month left in the annual Albany Chest campaign and many more contributions are needed in order to meet the 2018 fundraising goal of $42,000 set by the directors at the start of the campaign after they reviewed the submitted funding requests from over two dozen organizations.

Applications from parents requesting that their children be included in the 2018 Toys for Tots program must be filled out and turned in to ResourceCare before the close of business on Friday, Nov. 30.  As of Tuesday, 45 children were signed up.

Almost two dozen students from Albany Junior High and Nancy Smith Elementary will compete in Stamford at a UIL contest next week. Stamford is hosting the District 8 UIL Junior High Speech Contest next Thursday, Dec. 6, and Cross Plains, Haskell, Hawley, and Roscoe are also expected to attend.

The Christmas season is underway and local churches are hosting numerous activities to spread Christmas spirit throughout the community. Some pastors and congregations have not yet scheduled all of their Christmas events, and several could not be contacted before this week’s deadline.

This Sunday, Dec. 2, there will be a Celebration of Remembrance at Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church, and everyone is invited to attend and take a few minutes to honor family, friends, and other loved ones who have passed on.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Taylor County will be hosting the 2018 Abilene Area Pecan Show on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 3-4, with the entries on public display from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, and an Awards Program starting at 6:00 p.m. that same evening.

Friday, Nov.

Photo packages of local flag football teams and individuals have been printed and are now available. Parents who paid in advance or who have valid accounts can pick up their packages at The Albany News office. Others can be ordered when they are paid.

The December Moran city council meeting has been rescheduled, according to city secretary Jackie Wallace. The Moran city council normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month, but next month they will meet on Dec. 11, the second Tuesday instead.