By Melinda L. Lucas

With the annual campaign to raise funds for local organizations starting in October, board members of the Albany Chest will meet next week to organize the 2021 fundraising drive and elect new directors.

The meeting is set for Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 5:15 p.m. at The Feed Store.

“We will be accepting nominations for positions on the board,” said chairman Amy Kelly. 

Four of the 12 director positions come up for election each year, and Chest by-laws allow directors to serve two terms before they cycle off. 

By Melinda L. Lucas

A special meeting to adopt the 2021-2022 budget and tax rate for the Albany Independent School District is set for 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31, the last day that the budget can be adopted, according to state law.

Albany ISD board members looked over the 2021-2022 budget during their most recent regular meeting on Aug. 16.

Expenditures for the upcoming school year are projected to be $6,113,680, compared to the actual expenses so far of just under $5.7 million.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany ISD picked up a few new students since the first day of classes on Aug. 18, reporting a total enrollment of 508 on Monday of this week.

“Our enrollment is slightly more than it was last year at this time,” superintendent Jonathan Scott said. “The secondary campus has seen an increase, but the elementary has decreased slightly.”

A total of 265 students were on the roster as of Monday at elementary school, down by about 16 students.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The first weekly luncheon provided by The Feed Store to juniors and seniors was served on Tuesday to a total of 48 students.

Feed Store executive director Tisha Wilkins was pleased with the number of students who attended.

“We had a great turnout,” she said. “We are hoping that it will continue to grow, but for the first week, we felt good about the numbers.”

According to first-day enrollment figures, there are 33 juniors and 34 seniors this year.

By Melinda L. Lucas

In addition to upcoming youth and children’s activities signaling the start of the school year, a couple of events are being planned for local women in the next couple of weeks, one of them a single-night “encouragement” program and the other an in-depth weekly Bible study.

Women’s Night at Bethel Assembly is set for Wednesday, Sept. 8, starting at 7:00 p.m. Worship will be followed by a segment from Jennie Allen and Friends, “IF:Lead 2021.”

By Sam Waller

The Moran Bulldog football team kicks off its regular season at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the Benjamin Mustangs at Benjamin’s Ben Grill Field.

“Benjamin is going to be pretty good from what I’ve seen on film,” Moran coach John Hughes said. “They’re ranked in the top 20 in the state, so that will add a little bit of excitement to our preparations.”

The Bulldogs completed their preseason last Friday with a three-team scrimmage at Gustine.

By Sam Waller

Registration is underway for the Albany Chamber of Commerce annual garage sale, which is scheduled for Sept. 11.

“We are getting people signed up,” Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones said. “I may be out of the office some this week, but if  you see somebody there, you can run in and sign up. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Registration will continue through Sept. 3.

A registration fee of $10 covers inclusion on the map of garage sale participants and a sign. Signs will be ready for participants to pick up Sept. 7-9.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lions football team had its last dress rehearsal for the season on Thursday, Aug. 19, with its second scrimmage against the Hawley Bearcats.

Now, the Lions turn their attention to Friday’s season opener at Colorado City.

“We’re excited about getting to go to Colorado City and open up the season,” Lions head coach Denney Faith said. “I felt like we had two good scrimmages against good football teams. I think we’ve got ourselves ready to start our season.”

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lady Lions volleyball team remained undefeated by sweeping Olney on Aug. 17 and Eastland on Friday.

The Lady Lions were scheduled to play Ranger on Tuesday in their District 6-2A opener. 

They won easily in three sets 25-15, 25-7, 25-6, with details of that match to be reported next week.

After playing Ranger, the Lady Lions are scheduled to play in the Buckle Up for Lane’s Sake Volleyball Tournament at Nocona from Thursday (today) through Saturday.

By Sam Waller

The Albany Golf Club is still accepting names for a waiting list for its annual Labor Day tournament even though the tournament field is full.

“We have not had any cancellations yet,” Golf Club board member James Waters said. “We’ve got several teams on the waiting list. If we do have a cancellation, we should be able to fill it without a problem.”