I’ll Take the Oldies

I remember when my family bought their first TV (black and white of course). 

It was so exciting to watch. We were limited then on channels, and it took a very funny metal thing placed on the roof to make it work.

One of my favorite shows on Friday and Saturday nights was “Command Performance.” It came on after the news report. 

Most of these movies were made in the 30s & 40s. They would be comedy, drama, mystery, and romance. You learned to love all those stars.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The Lady Lions won four out of five games in the Albany Summer Slam Tournament last week to capture the consolation trophy in the Gold Bracket.

The regular season opened last Tuesday with a loss at Jim Ned, followed by dropping a rematch against the Lady Indians this week in Albany.

The Lady Lions fell to Jim Ned the second time in a hard-fought four-set matchup 21-25, 17-25, 26-24, 20-25. Complete game results were not available at press time but will be reported next week.

By Donnie A. Lucas

With almost two weeks of practice under their belts, the Albany Lions are itching for some competition.

The JV and varsity Lions will travel to Coleman on Friday for a set of scrimmages starting at 5:30 p.m. with junior varsity. The varsity scrimmage will follow.

The Lions will open home action at Robert Nail Stadium next Thursday, Aug. 22 against the Anson Tigers in the second and final scrimmage.

The Albany Golf Club’s annual Labor Day tournament is scheduled to take place at the Albany Golf Course on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 31-Sept. 1, and golfers may want to sign up quickly to reserve a spot.

“We’ve had a few teams sign up, and we still have openings for both tee times,” said club president Randy Walker on Monday. “However, we are running short of carts! If you need to rent a golf cart, call soon to see if one is still available.”

Tee times are 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Teams will be flighted for play on Sunday based on Saturday’s rounds.

By Kathy Thomson

Albany High School students Addie Beth Denton and Mady Connally both won awards at the Cisco Junior Rodeo last weekend.

Denton won belt buckles for the highest score over the course of the two-day rodeo in both goat tying, where times of 11.08 and 14.04 placed her first in both gos, and in ribbon roping where she claimed the average with a first place time of 12.38 seconds on Saturday after a “no time” on Friday. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

High school cross country runners continue to work out in the mornings in preparation for the season, with practices moving to 6:30 a.m. with the start of school on Thursday.

Coach Tate Thompson said that he only has four girls and one boy consistently showing up for workouts at the high school level. He originally thought he would have twice that number of girls, but injuries and participation in other sports have thinned the numbers down.

By Kathy Thomson

Michael Christopher Matson, a long time artist and a fairly recent addition to Albany, was selected earlier this year to craft the sign that now marks the South of Downtown Abilene (SoDA) district in Abilene.

The sign was installed at 833 South First Street on Saturday, Aug. 10, and the official ribbon cutting to commemorate the installation of the S.o.D.A. District Wayfinding Sign, took place this Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 10:00 a.m.

Officers who will serve during the upcoming year for Moran Masonic Lodge #863 were installed in Clyde earlier this summer.

The Moran organization held its officer installation ceremony in conjunction with the Clyde Masonic Lodge officer installation on Saturday, July 13 at the Clyde Masonic Lodge on Oak Street. 

Masonic Lodge officers include Worshipful Master Harley Wheeler, Senior Warden Chris Robinson, Junior Warden Bob EstesTreasurer C.L. Miller, Secretary John Adams Junior Deacon Frank Davidson, and Tiler Earl McFerrin.

Higher limits are now available for borrowers of USDA’s farm loans, which help agricultural producers purchase farms or cover operating expenses. 

The 2018 Farm Bill increased the amount that producers can borrow through direct and guaranteed loans available through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and made changes to other loans, such as microloans and emergency loans.

By Kathy Thomson

Although the 2019-2020 school year is underway for faculty at the Moran Independent School District, students will not begin classes until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 26.

Staff development days are scheduled weekdays from Aug. 8-23, and teachers are undergoing mandatory training, preparing lesson plans, and readying their classrooms for the upcoming semester.