Albany High agriculture teacher Chris Beard, new Moran ag instructor Matthew Hise, and Michaela Bradford, the new Shackelford County AgriLife extension agent, are all getting ready for the start of a new year of activities with FFA and 4-H students.
There will be a pool party at the Webb Park complex from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Aug. 20 for 4-H and FFA students to kick off the new school year.
FCCLA members are also invited to join the party.
Former Albany resident Gina Gillit Overby has been named the new high school principal at Anson.
Overby attend Albany schools from third grade until she graduated with honors in 1992. She then graduated Cum Laude from Abilene Christian University a few years later, and received her masters degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in Curriculum and Instruction in 2006.
County residents may have noticed a bright red flag flying at the Albany Visitor Center.
The new banner signals whether the Shackelford County Commissioners have enacted the county-wide burn ban. It will be flown continuously until the ban is deactivated.
New AgriLife extension agent Michaela Bradford is in charge of making sure the flag is flown at the correct times.
The Texas A&M Forest Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension are in partnership for the effort, Bradford said.
Forty years ago this month, record-setting rainfall caused severe flash flooding in Shackelford County, killing nine Albany residents, leaving 102 families in the city and 50 more in the county homeless, damaging about 100 additional houses, washing out multiple bridges and miles of roadway, destroying hundreds of miles of fences, making the water unsafe to drink, and causing millions in property losses to area businesses and agricultural producers.
Several Albany churches schedule special events during the transition from summer to the start of the school year to encourage local students to take advantage of opportunities to plug into groups where they can grow in their faith while enjoying the fellowship of other Christians.
The following activities are planned for students over the next few weeks.
Aug. 19 – FBC
First Baptist Church will hold a Back-to-School/Back-to-Church social event this Sunday, Aug. 19 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Bumguardners’ backyard.
ResourceCare’s first annual CareFest fundraiser took place last weekend, and although organizer Ragan Riley and program director Mindy Ary were disappointed that the event was not as profitable as they had hoped, they were very pleased with the event itself and they are planning to host it again next year.
The third annual Shifters Truck Show has been scheduled to take place in Albany on Saturday, Sept. 22.
“We are looking forward to a great day with friends and checking out some cool rides,” said organizer Robert Snyder. “Help us spread the word!”
The event will be open to all types of trucks that were manufactured through 1987.
“We welcome anything that could be classified as a truck,” said Snyder. “That includes pickups, flat beds, hot rods, rat rods, 4x4s, panel trucks, Model Ts, classics, customs, and old bed trucks.”
With opening of dove hunting season only a couple weeks away, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reminds sportsmen that all current year Texas hunting and fishing licenses (except year-to-date fishing licenses) expire Aug. 31. New licenses for 2018-19 went on sale Wednesday, Aug. 15.
The Moran Independent School District will start classes at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 27, and a few new faculty members have joined the staff over the summer break.
New to the MISD teaching staff in 2018 are Carly Henson (first grade teacher), Harley Ethridge (social studies instructor, athletic director, and boys head coach), Alyson Orsak (third through fifth grade math), and Kim Davis (third through fifth science and social studies, and fourth grade writing).
By Alex Smith
Conservation Planner
NRCS – Albany
There are many tools in a land manager’s toolbox; however, one of the most cost effective and often under-utilized tools available to them is prescribed burning.
The benefits of prescribed burning are far reaching and no matter the goal of the producer, prescribed burning often can be used to facilitate it.
