The annual Albany Chest campaign is underway, and fundraising letters were mailed in October to past contributors.

Members of the Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church have held their annual church bazaar for over a century, and plans are underway for this year’s event, which will be held at the church on Saturday, Nov. 10.

The Albany Ministerial Alliance is accepting applications from Shackelford County residents who wish to be included in the annual Christmas basket drive.

Numbers for this year’s “Running Man” were down from last year’s 237, and the 2016 all-time high of 303 participants, and organizers are pleased with the decrease.  “We are trying to limit it almost exclusively to Albany students and alumni,” said Feed Store executive director Tisha Wilkins.

Friendship Baptist Church invites everyone to attend “Harvest Acres” on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The gift and food bazaar will offer baked and craft items for sale. Benches and other larger items will be offered in a silent auction.

Winning the fourth annual Junior Garcia Golf Tournament that took place at the Albany Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 27 was The Wolf Pack, made up of Jason Gardner, Jeff Balliew, Ronnie Kitchens, and Mike Reddin. The second place team was led by Charles Barrett, and Clint Chapman’s team took third.

Traditionally trick or treating takes place on Oct. 31, and participating downtown Albany store owners will once again offer costumed local students and pre-schoolers a safe place to show off their cute outfits and solicit candy donations on Halloween.

Trick or treating will involve some older youth again this year, including Albany High School student council members who will be out in local neighborhoods to “Trick or Treat for Change” on  Tuesday night, Oct. 30 starting at 6:30 p.m. “There will be about 45 kids, from grades seven through 12,”...

With the 2018 “Red Ribbon Week” campaign winding down, organizers still have quite a bit more planned for local students on Thursday and Friday. Red Ribbon Week in Albany this year began on Monday, Oct. 22. The annual campaign is recognized not only locally but across the state and nation.

Motivational speaker Shannon Pickard will be entertaining and educating students at Albany High School today at a 10:00 a.m. assembly. Pickard, who is from Kilgore, started his own entertainment company while in high school and later launched it into a career in comedy, acting, and music.