By Sam Waller

The final program of the Big Country Beef Conference will be held Thursday, Aug. 24 (today) at  Taylor County Expo Center’s Big Country Hall.

Three ag CEUs and four TREC credits are available.

Registration begins a 7:45 a.m. with morning sessions starting at 8:00 a.m.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller will give the keynote address during a catered lunch.

Three more sessions will be held in the afternoon with drawing for door prizes at 3:00 p.m.

Cost is $30 at the door, payable by cash or check.

By Donnie A. Lucas

With the beginning of the new school year, Albany students are heading to campuses daily by school bus, car, bicycle, or on foot, prompting the need for caution by drivers.

Although the first full week of classes at both campuses has gone smoothly, school authorities want to put community focus on transportation safety.

Flashing Lights

By Melinda L. Lucas

Applications for Albany Chest funding will be available starting next Friday, Sept. 1, with directors expected to set a request deadline of Friday, Sept. 28.

Board members of the Albany Chest will meet to organize the 2023 fund-raising campaign, nominate and elect new directors, and choose officers for the upcoming year during a Sept. 13 meeting, according to board president Jana Kitchens.

The meeting will be held at the Feed Store at 5:15 p.m.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Pick-up dates for the August distribution of the commodity food program  provided by Shackelford County are Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

Families in Moran should pick up their monthly commodity food at the Moran City Hall between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31.

Albany families who have been certified as eligible may pick up their food on Friday, Sept. 1 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the rear door of the JP office.

By Sam Waller

The Shackelford County Livestock Show Barn will host its first event since being renovated with the 37th annual First Impressions Invitational Pig Sale.

The longest-running livestock sale in the U.S., which benefits Shackelford County youth who participate in the county stock show, is scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 9-10. At 1:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, a ribbon cutting will be held to reopen the show barn following its extensive renovation earlier this summer.

By Sam Waller

Registration for the Albany Chamber of Commerce’s community-wide garage sale is underway and receiving good response, according to Chamber manager Brandi Lehew.

Registration began Tuesday, Aug. 22.

“I had people coming by the first day,” Lehew said. “Registration is going, and I’ve got the signs ready and out. Anyone who’s interested, come on in.”

Registration will continue through Wednesday, Sept. 6. The garage sale will be held Saturday, Sept. 9.

By Sam Waller

Season tickets for the Albany Lions 2023 football season are now available through the Albany Junior/Senior High office.

Adult season tickets are $30 for five games. Returning ticketholders have the right to claim the same seats they had last season. Season tickets cover only varsity home games.

Senior citizen passes are available from the superintendent’s office.

Albany’s first home date will be Friday, Sept. 1  against Dublin. Other home games are Sept. 8, Oct. 7, Oct. 20 (homecoming), and Oct. 27.

By Sam Waller

A total of 23 spots remain available for Albany Golf Club’s annual Labor Day Golf Tournament as of Tuesday, Aug. 22.

Most of the available spots are in the afternoon flight, which had 15 openings.

The two-person scramble is scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 2-3, at Albany Golf Course.

Entry fee is $200 per team and includes one mulligan per player per day as well as a meal on Saturday evening. The field is limited to 60 teams. Tournament director Shawn Sutton said entries will be taken until the limit is reached.

By Sam Waller

Albany Golf Club will have new additions to its fleet of golf carts ready for the annual Labor Day Golf Tournament.

The club announced the acquisition of six EZGO carts. The gasoline-powered carts sport the club logo on the front panel.

By Melinda L. Lucas

During a meeting on Monday, Aug. 14, moved up a week from the regular third Monday time, Albany ISD’s board of trustees set a date for a special meeting to adopt the 2023-2024 budget and tax rate, planning an early morning meeting on Aug. 31, the last day that the budget can be adopted according to state law.

The board also reviewed recently released preliminary STAAR test scores for grades 3-6, with superintendent Jonathan Scott explaining the information, which is detailed in a separate article.

State ratings have not yet been released.