By Lynsi Musselman

Homecoming 2020, scheduled for this Friday, Oct. 2 has been postponed and will take place Friday, Oct. 16 when the Albany Lions take on the Ranger Bulldogs.

Albany Junior/Senior High School principal Glen Hill said with the spike in COVID-19 cases,the district did not think it was a good idea to bring everyone together in the setting that homecoming produces.

In addition, Hill explained that with the number of students in quarantine, many of the homecoming candidates would not be available to participate this week. 

By Lynsi Musselman

Officers for the Albany Parent Teacher Organization made the call to cancel the annual Albany Fall Fest for this year, a decades-old event normally held the last Saturday in October.

“This was such a difficult decision,” said Malarie Sutton, PTO president and Fall Fest organizer. 

She said the health and safety of students and the community is the number one concern and the reason for the cancellation.

Members of the Albany High School band have been having their own dress-up days for Monday night practice times, with many of the students attired as nerds this week. Band Booster Club members provide snow cones at the end of the rehearsals.

By Lynsi Musselman

Bethel Assembly’s ‘The Patch’ sign is up in the Bank Park, and members of the Albany congregation are ready to welcome residents on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Church member Betsy Spraberry said the event will have the traditional pumpkin market with various sizes of pumpkins available for purchase. 

There will also be fall photo opportunities and a bake sale, all while the organizers are being mindful and cautious of COVID-19 concerns.

First Christian Church will celebrate a Blessing of the Animals service on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10:00 a.m. on the south side lawn of the church. 

“Everyone is welcome to bring their furry friends for a word of blessing at this short and meaningful service,” said pastor Brad McBee.

He added that photos of the animals can be brought if it is difficult to bring the animal itself. 

By Lynsi Musselman

Beverly Rogers, with help from friends and the Albany Chamber of Commerce, held “Give Alzheimer’s the Boot” last Saturday, Sept. 27 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in connection with the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s usually held in Abilene.

Rogers raised $5,531 this year for a grand total of $85,000 over the past 18 years.

“I never dreamed it would be this successful with the pandemic going on,” Rogers reported.

By Lynsi Musselman

The Shackelford County 4-H Club hosted its first sewing clinic on Sunday, Sept. 20.

Shackelford County extension agent Kloey Painter said the class was led by Johnnie Hise, the Texas 4-H Fashion and Interior Design Ambassador and Shackelford County club secretary.

“Johnnie is an incredible teacher and the 4-H club is blessed to have her,” Painter said.

Hise showed participants three different types of sewing machines and how they worked, as well as tools and supplies used to sew.

By Lynsi Musselman

This time of year several hundred area elementary and middle school students and teachers normally prepare to make the annual trip to Living History School Day at Fort Griffin State Historic Site for a reenactment of day-to-day life in the real Old West.

However, with the lingering pandemic, Fort Griffin site manager Mitch Baird said the staff has decided it’s not a good idea to bring in 800 kids and 100 reenactors who are usually on site for the event.

By Lynsi Musselman

The previously scheduled decorating of Main Street last weekend will take place this Saturday, Oct. 3. 

Albany residents are invited to help display cut cane and fall leaves down Main Street at 9:00 a.m.

Albany Chamber of Commerce treasurer Lisa Barton said that several Chamber board members and volunteers were not available last weekend so it was decided to postpone one week when there were more people to help make downtown look like fall.

By Lynsi Musselman

Sue Breeden placed first in her class of Pinterest Pinners in the Creative Arts department at the West Texas Fair and Rodeo Sept. 4-19, and her shadowbox featuring hand sewn beadwork was also chosen as Best in Show.

Her project this year was titled “Three Best Friends.”

Breeden explained that she took lessons in beading from Inuit Indians while visiting her daughter in Alaska.

The beadwork project  took Breeden at least 100 hours of work, she said.