By Donnie A. Lucas

As of Monday, only four openings were available for this weekend’s Father’s Day Golf Tournament set for Saturday and Sunday at the Albany Golf Course.

Tournament organizer James Waters said that he still has room for four teams in the morning flight, while the afternoon tee times are all taken. 

Tee times for Saturday morning start at 8:30 a.m., with the afternoon action starting at 1:30 p.m.

The teams will be flighted after the first round on Saturday, with the second round set for Sunday, June 21.

By Lynsi Musselman

The start of the 2020-2021 school year is just two months away, and many families are anxiously waiting to get their kids registered for the upcoming school year.

Albany Independent School District will soon post an online link to register for current families for the whole district.

Nancy Smith Elementary School principal John Gallagher said the online registration forms are being updated to include areas that will apply to all grade levels.

With snacks and gear in hand, Landon Herrell (l) and Ace Vickers (r) walk down Main Street to the creek for an afternoon of fishing, making the most of sunny June days with friends. Recent easing of COVID-19 restrictions is opening up other opportunities, such as swimming at the local pool and attending next week’s sports camp.

By Lynsi Musselman

Old Jail Art Center is still closed to the public, with no plans to reopen as of press time this week.

Executive board members could possibly make that decision next month.

While patrons anticipate the reopening of the museum, they can look to OJAC social media platforms for ways to stay connected with art, history, and educational activities. 

Each week new theme projects are posted with a different activity for each day.

By Lynsi Musselman

As time passes and restrictions ease, more churches are slowly beginning to  meet again for worship services and Sunday school.

Trinity 

Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas that governs Trinity Episcopal Church in Albany has announced that its congregations will return to in-person worship in a phased approach.

Trinity in Albany will not meet this Sunday for worship, but discussions about when a priest from Abilene will be available are underway.

By Lynsi Musselman

Community Vacation Bible School 2020, with a theme of Concrete and Cranes, will begin Sunday, July 24 and continue through Wednesday, July 29 at First Baptist Church Albany.

The summer event is sponsored by the Albany Ministerial Alliance.

Sunday through Tuesday, VBS will begin with a 5:00 p.m. dinner in the church fellowship hall followed by VBS at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary.

“Family Night” will be the last night of VBS on Wednesday at the city pool, starting with a program at 6:30 p.m.

By Lynsi Musselman

The farmers market in Albany is typically recognizable by the white tent placed on Main Street next to King & Robertson Insurance Agency, but city manager Billy Holson said this week that there will be no tent placed this year by the city for the market.

Holson explained that the tent provided by the city was damaged and a new one has not been ordered due to other circumstances.

He said local producers are still invited to bring tables and sell homegrown products on Saturdays at the city-owned lot next to King & Robertson.

By Lynsi Musselman

As people start to resurface and get back to daily routines after the recent COVID-19 shutdown, in-person group meetings are starting back up as well.

Kiwanis Club

Members of the Kiwanis Club of Albany resumed meeting two weeks ago, and will continue to gather each Wednesday at 12:00 noon in the bar area of the Fort Griffin Gen. Merchandise Restaurant.

Masonic Lodge

The Masonic Lodge in Albany will start meeting together again on June 18. They meet the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m.

By Lynsi Musselman

The City of Moran’s community garden is finally seeing the fruits of their labor.

Moran city employee Teresa King said yellow squash is the first harvest from the garden and zucchini should not be far behind.

“Tomatoes are blooming, and the green beans and okra plants are coming up,” King said.

King added that the garden has been a collective effort, and all who have participated will be welcome to the fresh fruit and vegetables that the garden will provide. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

Over 80 local athletes entering grades 7-12 in the fall showed up for the first day of summer conditioning on Monday at the high school.

This is the first time that student athletes have been allowed back to use the school’s facilities since schools across Texas were closed on March 16 by the Texas Education Agency due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Strength and conditioning programs were approved to start June 8 as officials slowly begin reopening certain facilities for the first time since spring break.