By Sandy Morris

Seven local 4-H members competed at the District 7 Food Show on Thursday, Nov. 19 in the Big Country Hall located at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene. 

In the junior division, Gage Burton competed in side dish and earned third place, and Carly Kreitler competed in main dish, earning fifth place honors.

Artie Bell and Luke Smith also participated in the junior division. 

In the intermediate division, Landon Kreitler competed in side dish, placing fourth. Ellis Hise was sixth in main dish.

By Sandy Morris

National Wreaths Across America Day 2020 has been scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19 and local residents are working to arrange a ceremony to honor service members buried in the Albany Cemetery. 

“We just feel that it is so important to honor those veterans in our community who served our country,” stated Melinda Musselman, co-coordinator of the event.

By Sandy Morris

The fifth grade class from Nancy Smith Elementary School attended Camp Grady Spruce, an outdoor educational camp on Possum Kingdom Lake, last week.

Accompanying the 33 local students were NSES principal John Gallagher, and four teachers including Leslie Neve, Candy Balliew, AISD nurse Lisa Russell, and William Vaughan.

The group left the local campus on Monday, Nov. 16 and returned from camp on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 18.

By Sandy Morris

Albany High School FFA members competed in the Big Country District Leadership Development Events (LDE) on Monday, Nov. 14 in Cisco.

A total of 20 schools, including the Albany FFA teams, participated in the contest, which is held in the fall. 

LDE focus on creating situations for members to demonstrate their abilities in public speaking, decision making, communication, and their knowledge of agriculture and the FFA organization. 

In each event, the top two teams from each contest advance to area from district. 

By Sandy Morris

Albany High School’s annual Winter Formal, normally held in January, has been moved up to Saturday, Dec. 12 starting at 8:00 p.m. at the Whitney Theatre.

The Winter Formal is sponsored each year by members of the Albany High School student council.

Winter Formal Court

Three boy and three girl nominees will be selected for the Winter Formal Court for each class, with freshmen through juniors being nominated for Winter Formal Prince and Princess for their individual classes.

By Sandy Morris

Friendship Baptist Church members held their fifth annual Harvest Acres on Saturday, Nov. 21. 

“The frozen casseroles were the first thing to fly out the door” said pastor Paul Johnston. “We also quickly sold out of our soups, stew, and pulled pork.”

Johnston said there was a steady stream of people during the day who were purchasing the assorted baked goods, crafts, and homemade jams and jellies. 

More than $4,800 was raised for the account that provides funds for local mission projects and needs.

By Sandy Morris

The First United Methodist Women are hosting a chili fundraiser on Sunday, Dec. 6 from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.

The chili fundraiser will be take-out orders only with no indoor dining allowed due to COVID-19 concerns.

Offerings of both chili and beans will be frozen when picked up. 

A one-quart bag of chili is $10.50 and a one-quart bag of beans is $1.50. 

Tickets may be purchased from any UMW member.

By Sandy Morris

A routine traffic stop turned into a high speed, two-county chase on Wednesday, Nov. 18, according to the Shackelford County Sheriff’s Office.

At approximately 5:52 p.m., Shackelford County Deputy Mike Henry attempted to make a traffic stop with a vehicle for driving 98 miles per hour (MPH) in a 75 MPH zone. 

The stop was initiated on US Hwy. 180 East, two miles west of FM 2482. 

The 2017 Chevrolet truck with graphics failed to pull over, but continued to gain in speed.

By Sandy Morris

Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church will host its fourth annual Cele-bration of Remembrance on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4:00 p.m.

Because of the pandemic, the service will be held outside in the backyard area of MMPC, where Sunday services are currently being held. 

By Sandy Morris

The traditional playoff drum beating, preceded by a community pep rally at the Bank Park, will kick off the Athletic Booster Club’s special activities this week as the Albany Lions prepare for the regional semifinal match-up with Windthorst.

Albany will travel the short distance to Breckenridge for this week’s game, with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27. 

The -Lions will face the Windthorst Trojans, who defeated Archer City last week at the area level.