A monthly country and western musical will continue this month on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Moran Community Center.

Moran singer-songwriter M.L. “Marty” Clifford is coordinating the event, which got underway in May.

Clifford plans to hold the musical on the fourth Saturday of each month.

Proceeds will benefit local organizations.

There is no cover charge, but snacks will be available.

For more information, call 325-668-5084.

By Kathy Thomson

The school year is underway and with it comes a daily commute by hundreds of children to and from the local campuses by school bus, car, bicycle, and on foot.

Drivers should be aware of the increased risk of injury or death to the community’s most precious resources that result from speeding or distracted driving, especially when combined with students who may forget to watch for oncoming traffic.

By Kathy Thomson

At least three local churches have special events for students scheduled to take place next week, and all of them have invited area youth to join in their activities.

Aug. 25 – C of C

The Church of Christ’s annual back to school pool party will be held this Sunday, Aug. 25, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Webb Park Pool.

“All of our church is invited, including all of the kids,” said pastor Sonny McCauley. “Visitors are welcome to join us.”

By Kathy Thomson

Friendship Baptist Church has a fun back to school event planned next Wednesday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and parents and their elementary aged children are invited to come to the Back to School Bash, enjoy food and fun, and get signed up for Friendship Tribe.

The activities will take place by the church’s gym area and will include a water slide, bounce house, cakewalk, hot dogs, and ice cream.

Junior high and high school students will be able to eat before 7:00  p.m., and then use the water slide from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

By Kathy Thomson

The Feed Store served the first junior/senior Tuesday lunch of the new school year this Tuesday, Aug. 20, and the non-denominational youth ministry executive director Tisha Wilkins said that she was pleased with the turnout.

“We had 57 students, which was great!” Wilkins said. “We have the churches down with the same schedule as before, but we do have some open weeks that we would like to get filled.”

Volunteers typically provide and prepare food for up to 82 juniors and seniors.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The 2019 Lion football team got the first taste of “live” action during a scrimmage last Friday in Coleman.

Albany will host the Anson Tigers for a second and final scrimmage on Thursday (today) starting at 6:00 p.m. with the junior varsity. The varsity squad will follow at about 6:45 p.m.

There will not be an official gate price for the local scrimmage, but fans will be asked to help support the Texas High School Coaches Association’s “Our Day to Shine” benevolence fundraiser by donating at the gate.

By Donnie A. Lucas

The varsity girls volleyball team took two area opponents to four sets last week, coming up short in two close matches against Jim Ned and Abilene Christian High School.

Albany faced another tough opponent at home on Tuesday, posting a hard-fought 23-25, 24-26, 25-13, 25-21, 15-9  win over Eastland. Details from the match were not available at press time but will be published next week.

The varsity will be on the road Thursday to play in the Dublin Tournament, with bracket play starting Saturday.

By Kathy Thomson

Registration is still open for the Albany Golf Club’s annual Labor Day tournament, and according to president Randy Walker on Monday, both morning and afternoon tee times are available.

“We had a pretty good run last week, with several teams signing up, but we still have openings for both tee times,” said Walker. “However, we are out of rental golf carts.”

By Kathy Thomson

When smoke plumes rose into the Shackelford County sky last week, first responders quickly sprang into action to limit the amount of damage caused by the wildfires, and although their hard work and effort contained those fires to a few hundred acres, everyone is reminded to be extra diligent to prevent any fires from starting.

By Kathy Thomson

The Moran football team traveled to Baird for the first scrimmage of the year last Friday, Aug. 16, and new head coach John Hughes had his first chance to see the Bulldogs matched up against players from other schools.

The scrimmage was a four-way event between Moran, Baird, Water Valley, and Abilene Christian.

“Overall, the guys did well for the first scrimmage,” said Hughes. “There were some mistakes, which is expected, but I was extremely pleased with how we performed.”