For Brian Woodyard, the rush of a wrestling crowd never really goes away. Once the walk-out music hits — in his case, “Blood” by Dropkick Murphys — he says it all comes back like riding a bike. That was the feeling Saturday, Nov. 1, when he stepped through the curtain at the DoubleTree Hilton in Abilene and returned to the ring for the first time in two years.

Woodyard is known in the wrestling world as Conor Murphy, the Pub Rat — an Irish-accented brawler with a catchphrase ready for any challenger: “I’m serving up a pint of beatdown.”

Members of the Albany Masonic Lodge visited Nancy Smith Elementary School on Friday, Oct. 31, to deliver toothbrush kits and share a lesson on oral health with students. With many children dressed in their Halloween costumes, it proved to be a fitting day to learn about taking care of teeth before an evening filled with candy.

As part of the visit, school nurse Heather Nitschke spoke with first-grade students about the importance of brushing and demonstrated proper techniques to help keep their smiles healthy.

Excitement is growing for this weekend’s Fall Fest, an annual fundraiser sponsored by the Albany PTO. Fall Fest is set for Saturday, Nov. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Nancy Smith Elementary School, featuring game booths, Bingo, a cake walk, face painting, food and drinks, and a few new attractions.

A “Glow in the Dark” Silent Disco – new this year – will take place in the gym from 5 to 7 p.m., with 10-minute sessions starting every 15 minutes.

When Madison Jones stepped to the starting line of the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2, she wasn’t sure her goal was possible. She had trained for five months in the Texas summer heat, but the thought of running 26.2 miles in under four hours — something she had never attempted — still felt uncertain.

Jones, a 2014 graduate of Albany High School now living in Austin, powered across the finish line in 3:58:28 — a strong result in one of the toughest and most iconic races in the world.