Shackelford County voters who wish to vote by mail ballot for either Albany city council members or for trustees for AISD can submit applications from now until April 23.

Albany school district applications can be requested from Morgan Whitley at the AISD superintendent’s office at PO Box 2050, Albany TX 76430, or by phone at 325-762-3974.

City ballot applications can be requested from Becky Wiloth by phone at 325-762-3133, by mail at Albany City Hall, PO Box 3248, Albany TX 76430, or in person at 425 South 2nd Street. 

Fort Griffin State Historic Site will hold a Stars and Skies party this Saturday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m.

“Join us next week for our first star party of the spring season,” said event specialist Eric Abercrombie. “We are hoping for great temperatures and clear skies!”

The forecast calls for a low of 42 degrees, only a 10 percent chance of showers, and mostly clear skies. The sun should set at 6:40 p.m., and the moon won’t rise until morning, leaving a long dark night, perfect for a star party.

Star Party

Moran teams have been running at the track in Cisco to prepare for the spring season, and they will take part in their first meet of the year at Hico today, Feb. 28.

Girls coach Dakota Fowler has 10 tracksters on the high school team and five on the junior high squad.

Harley Ethridge is the boys varsity and junior high coach.

All four track teams competed at Hico today and will participate in a track meet in Gordon on Monday, March 4 before taking a week off for spring break. 

Several weeks ago, 19 dogs from Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska came to the Crooked Tree Ranch outside of Albany to compete for the title of “2019 Region 7 AFTCA  Amateur-All Age Champion.”  

Judges for the event were Dr. Alex Jacocks of Edmond, Oklahoma and Scoot Terrell of Canton. 

“Both men have been involved in bird dog trials for many years and are knowledgeable in the ways of pointing dogs and wild quail,” said show secretary Mary Ann Gustafson. “The weather was perfect, and despite the lack of spring rain, quail were there to be found.”  

Shackelford County commissioners voted during their regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 25 to move forward with plans to utilize clients from the Walker-Sayle Unit in Breckenridge for special assignments.

Earlier in the month, the elected officials delayed action in order to evaluate costs of initiating the program.

Information about 15-passenger vans, cost of insurance, and options for furnishing porta-potties were all discussed during Monday’s session.

Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones, three Albany High School juniors, and their mentor Chris Beard are still asking for ideas for a community service project that the students, Tyler Beard, Brayden Sullivan, and Taylor Scott, can complete over the next several months.

About 356 households are currently signed up for the City of Albany emergency call out system, and although 88 percent of those were successfully reached during a test of the One Call Now system that took place on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 20, city call out system coordinator Chuck Sheppard would like to see those numbers improve.

Several local youth placed well at the San Antonio livestock show this month, including Albany Junior High student Gracie Price, who exhibited the reserve grand champion Maine-Anjou heifer at the junior breeding heifer show, and freshman Chelsy Parsons, who won the medium weight Hampshire division of the junior market barrow show. 

Price won class 1, Maine-Anjou heifers, and then led Gracie Girl 15 back into the ring to be named Champion Maine-Anjou heifer calf. The weanling, born last May, was then selected as the breed’s reserve grand champion heifer.

Shackelford County rancher John Matthews will turn 100 on March 9, and a musical recital performed by both local talent and the North Texas Caledonian Pipes & Drums will be held at the Aztec Theater at 7:00 p.m. this Saturday, March 2 in honor of the occasion.

Tickets to the free performancewere all given away before the end of the first day, according to pianist Sandy Abel.

Ash Wednesday is next week, and at least two Albany churches will have special services that evening.

Trinity Lutheran Church will hold a service at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6. 

Jesus of Nazareth Catholic Church has Mass scheduled for 5:45 p.m. on Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is observed 46 days before Easter Sunday and is the beginning of the Lenten season.

Lent is a time of reflection, focusing on repentance for sins, and remembering the suffering Christ endured to win forgiveness and salvation for all believers.