By Kathy Thomson

Several veteran Fandangle cast members traveled to Abilene on Wednesday, June 24 to perform a 20-minute “sampler” for the Abilene Kiwanis Club.

“I was contacted by the president of the Abilene Kiwanis Club, who invited me to come and give a presentation about the Fort Griffin Fandangle,” said marketing director Scarlett Yates. “I told him that I thought I could do one better than that. I contacted Lorna Ayers, and she was able to organize a group that came and performed.”

Former Shackelford County resident Joel Nelson, a Texas cowboy who some say has considerable talent with horses, will be the third recipient of the Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award during the 43rd Annual National Golden Spur Award dinner at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Overton Hotel in Lubbock.

By Lynsi Musselman

The July 6 “soft opening” of the new Shackelford County Senior Citizen Activity Center at 5 S. Jacobs St. has been postponed until further notice.

Senior Center board president Tracy Sullivan said with the rise of new COVID-19 cases around the state, the board will follow Gov. Abbott’s instructions to put a pause on reopening plans.

“The donated cabinets from the Nobles are still about four weeks out from being installed,” Sullivan said. “The hope is for everything to come together all at the same time.”

The City of Albany will test the emergency warning siren at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, July 8, as it does the second Wednesday of every month, depending on the weather.

The tests keep citizens familiar with the three warning sounds, and they are also used to make sure that the siren, computer, software, and radios are working correctly.

The siren should sound one of the three emergency tones at noon on that day, but the siren is not tested if the weather is questionable, according to local fire chief Kyle Tischler. 

SEVERE WEATHER

WARNING

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany secondary students and staff will have a new leader when the school year starts, with the hiring of new principal Glen Hill approved by the school board last month.

Hill began working in the office on Monday, June 15 and will keep regular office hours, 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays during the month of July.

The new principal is currently commuting from Knox City where he served as principal the past two years, but he has plans to move his family to Albany within the next week.

By Lynsi Musselman

Many Albany families are looking forward to getting their child’s education back on track, and they are ready for the upcoming school year. 

The first day of classes in Albany is planned for Wednesday, Aug. 19.  

Albany Independent School District director of student services Leigh Lowe said the registration for 2020-2021 is in a holding pattern waiting on Texas Education Agency and Region 14.

Each school district in Texas is required to report to TEA, and the original June 18 deadline was extended due to COVID-19.

By Lynsi Musselman

This summer, Old Jail Art Center children’s programs are going virtual.

OJAC education director Erin Whitmore said that the August camps are usually offered in a one-day workshop format.

“This year, the education department is offering a daily virtual experience to campers,” Whitmore said. “Daily camp videos will post each morning at 10:00 a.m. on our Facebook page, including step-by-step crafts and activities by OJAC educators.”

By Kathy Thomson

ResourceCare summer day camp is scheduled to get underway next Monday, July 6, but with constantly changing guidelines for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, plans were still up in the air at press time this week.

Day Camp organizers learned Tuesday that the city pool, which plays a big role in the three-week camp, is closed until further notice because of a possibility of exposure to COVID-19.

By Kathy Thomson

Early voting for the primary run-off elections is currently underway, and registered Shackelford County voters can cast their ballots at the Courthouse today (July 2), Monday through Friday next week (July 6-10), or on Election Day, Tuesday, July 14.

Mail ballot requests must be received by Shackelford County clerk Cheri Hawkins before the Courthouse closes today at 5:00 p.m.

The Courthouse will be closed on Friday, July 3 for the statewide Independence Day holiday.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Eight new tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus were administered by the county’s two health clinics last week, with one positive result, one negative, and six still pending.

County Judge Robert Skelton stated Monday that the county-wide testing total for last week was 41, with one positive, 34 negatives, and six pending.

One previous positive case of a county resident was reported in April, but the resident has since recovered and the quarantine requirement was completed several weeks ago.