Albany Independent School District will break for the Christmas holidays at noon next Friday, Dec. 21, and early releases on both Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 19 and 20 should help everyone survive the five-day-long week and make it to the anticipated vacation.

Closet Angels will be closed over the Christmas holidays so that volunteers can take a break and spend time with their families, according to director Lori Reames. “If the school is closed, we close as well, so that volunteers can spend time with their kids and grandkids,” said Reames.

The popular annual Mr. Christmas Tree pageant will take place at The Feed Store next Monday evening, Dec. 17, at 7:00 p.m. “The four contestants will have a chance to put up signs and do a little decorating on Sunday after we deliver the Christmas Baskets,” said Feed Store director Tisha Wilkins.

Make-your-own spice sets, fragrant candles, and customized Christmas decorations are among the various choices available for patrons to create at the Old Jail Art Center’s Make & Take holiday gift workshop this year. The come and go workshops are open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Because of the busy holiday schedule, the Shackelford County Resource Center does not host a senior luncheon in December.  The next senior luncheon will be held on Friday, Jan. 18 at the Youth Center beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Because Christmas falls on Tuesday this year, Republic Services, trash pickup contractor for the City of Albany, will run on a slightly different schedule for the week of Christmas. Residential trash containers and business and industrial containers normally picked up on Tuesday, Dec.

The Oil Belt District banquet and district talent contest were held last Monday, Dec. 3 at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene and local FFA members were in attendance.

Parents who applied for Toys for Tots should have picked up their kids’ presents at the Youth Center this Wednesday. “We sorted the gifts by families, and had them ready for parents to pick them up,” said Resource Care case worker Makenzie Marshall. “We don’t wrap them.

The Albany Lions defeated Hamlin 41-28 in the quarterfinals last week, and the Albany Athletic Booster Club invites local fans to continue showing their belief in the 2018 Lion varsity football team by joining the community send-off this Thursday morning, Dec. 13, at 11:00 a.m. at the Bank Park.

The varsity Lady Lions lost two of three games in the Breckenridge Tournament last week last week to go to 8-6 for the season. Albany was scheduled to host Ranger on Tuesday, but the game was moved back a day due to the sudden death over the weekend of a school coach.