Two Albany students have been awarded college scholarships from funds held at the Community Foundation of Abilene.

Jillian Guinn is the 2019 recipient of the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame-Nancy and Ted Paup Scholarship.

Jillian Guinn will be attending Texas Tech University to study Communication and Marketing. She is the daughter of Shea and Robbin Guinn. Jillian is the President of the National Honor Society, Assistant Editor of the Lions Roar newspaper and competed in UIL Journalism. 

By Kathy Thomson

The Albany Church of Christ will be the location of an area-wide youth rally next Wednesday, June 26.

“We will have singing, a guest speaker, and a meal,” said minister Sonny McCauley. “We wanted to invite teens from our area to attend as well as those coming from Hawley and Abilene. All teenagers are invited to this free event.”

The youth rally is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. and end around 7:00 p.m.

McCauley is expecting 50 to 75 people to come to the rally and the Mexican Pile On meal.

By Nolan Davis

Local residents volunteered time last Saturday, June 15 to help with the Chamber of Commerce promoted community cleanup day.

“We had about 15 to 20 people show up to help out,” said Chamber manager Mary Beth Jones. “I was very pleased with the number of people who volunteered their Saturday to help clean up Albany. I was also very happy with the Chamber board members who came and the leadership they showed by doing so.”

The amount of work done depends on how many show up, so having a good crowd was helpful.

By Nolan Davis

With the local tennis camp wrapping up, local athletes still have a chance to hone their skills during the summer break with a few camps still remaining.

The basketball, volleyball, tennis, and boys all-sport camps have been completed, while the cheer and volleyball team camps still remain on the schedule.

The team camp for the high school volleyball squad is set for July 28-30.

By Kathy Thomson

Junior Mady Connally and sophomore Addie Beth Denton were among 700 high school students from across the state who competed in the Texas High School Rodeo Association State Finals held at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene last week, and although neither of the Albany High students made it to the short go this year, both intend to be back at the finals next July. 

By Nolan Davis

The annual Father’s Day golf tournament sponsored by the Albany Golf Club was shortened for some as heavy rains moved in on Sunday.

The event, held last weekend, saw teams of three participate in a scramble format tournament.

While many teams were not able to compete during both days due to rain, those who played on Sunday morning managed to get both days in.

The heavy rainfall also impacted the scoring for the event.

By Kathy Thomson

Shackelford County 4-H member Johnnie Hise won sixth place at the 2019 State 4-H Roundup Fashion Show held in College Station last Tuesday, June 11.

Hise, a freshman at Moran High School, qualified for the state-level competition by winning the Cotton Division of the All-Natural Fiber Contest at the District 7 Roundup held in San Angelo on May 10.

Exhibitors at the state contest were evaluated by a panel of judges who ranked each contestant based on their Fashion Show paperwork and an interview.

By Nolan Davis

The summer reading program sponsored by the Albany Study Club has one session remaining for the 2019 program.

Children from the ages of two to four and kindergarten to fourth grade are encouraged to attend the final program on Tuesday, June 25 at the Shackelford County Library. Those from the ages of two to four should have an adult accompany them.

The program begins at 10:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m.

The program’s theme this summer was “A Universe of Stories,” in cele-bration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings.

Appraisal notices for real property and business personal property have been mailed out during the past few weeks, according to Clayton Snyder, chief appraiser of the Shackelford County Appraisal District. 

About 2,000 notices were sent to property owners in the county.

Drive Across Texas recently posted an eight-and-a-half minute segment about Albany on their website and their Youtube channel.

The show’s host, Pat Walker, interviewed Chamber of Commerce office manager Mary Beth Jones outside the Old Jail Art Center on Wednesday, April 17.

“We talked about the Old Jail and how the Masons carved their initials in the blocks for payment,” said Jones. “We also talked about why people should come to Albany.”