Several members of Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church joined other gardening enthusiasts at the Ben Richey Boys Ranch Albany campus this past Sunday to help the boys get their garden started.

“There were around 20 volunteers, plus our group,” said campus director Mike Bean. “They got here right after church, we had snacks and a light lunch, and then we all went to work. It was around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. before the last ones left.”

One of those workers was organizer Alicia Burton.

Members of the Albany Ministerial Alliance decided to do things a little differently for this summer’s community Vacation Bible School, and they want to make sure that parents can plan ahead for the new schedule.

This year the Alliance sponsored VBS will take place later in the summer, on Sunday through Wednesday, Aug. 4-7, and will be held from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. each of those evenings.

Pick-up and drop-off sites will be designated at various sites around town, with transportation provided to help participants get to and from VBS.

Shackelford County elected officials planned a special meeting in order to view and possibly purchase a vehicle to transport clients from the Walker-Sayle Unit in Breckenridge.

County judge Bob Skelton reported that he had located a fairly late-model seven-passenger van for $4,700.

“This will limit us to a six-man workforce, but I personally think that will be all right,” said Skelton.

Jim Stuart has been named executive director of the Abilene Preservation League, the city’s 40-plus year-old historic watch organization, announced James Wagstaff, president of the League’s board of trustees.

Abilene Preservation League is a membership-based advocacy and education resource for historic preservation.

In the position of executive director, Stuart administers and directs program planning, public relations and marketing communications, fundraising, board and membership development, financial management and personnel responsibilities for the organization.

Shackelford County youth were among the exhibitors from across the state of Texas showing barrows and goats at the junior livestock show in Austin recently.

Rodeo Austin is the eighth largest junior livestock show in North America with more than 8,000 entries.

Market goats were judged on Tuesday, March 19, while market barrows were exhibited last Saturday and Sunday. 

Steers are scheduled to be shown on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, followed by heifers on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Services for Mariana Green of Albany, who died Tuesday, March 26 after a brief illness, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 30 at the Old Jail Art Center.

Peggy Boykin, age 91 of Albany, passed away Friday, March 22, 2019. 

Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 26 at Liberty Baptist Church in Hawkins, Texas with Rev. David Franklin officiating. 

Interment followed at the Liberty Cemetery under the direction of Morehart Mortuary.

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The Albany wildlife team of Brodey Jones, Bryan Jones, Ryder Wilkins, Tyler Beard, Brady Karl, and Kasey Cauble brought back awards from the Anson Invitational CDEs Thursday, March 7. 

The team also participated in an invitational contest in Cisco this week and will take part in the Rolling Plains Wildlife contest and the Weatherford College CDEs next week.

Twenty-one Albany High School students are entered in the District 8-2A University Interscholastic League academic meet scheduled for next Wednesday, March 26, at Hawley ISD, and although the local participants have placed well in previous showings, AHS UIL coordinator Rick Davis said Albany is not the front runner for overall high point this time around.

“I’m afraid that there are too many contests where we don’t have any participants for us to be able to win district,” Davis said. “My main goal next week is to see how many we can qualify to the regional meet.”

Albany High School juniors and seniors will crown the 2019 prom queen and king during the Junior-Senior Prom to be held Saturday, March 23, from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. at the Whitney Theatre in downtown Albany.

The dance, hosted by the junior class and chaperoned by the junior class sponsors, is open to AHS juniors, seniors, and their dates.

Dates have to be enrolled in a high school, but can be from other high schools with prior approval by principal Edward Morales.