The Fort Griffin Fandangle- a celebration of our local heritage

When I was in grade school, my mother received an invitation to participate in the Fort Griffin Fandangle by a family friend of ours, Mr. Watt Matthews. She was attending a sampler performance with my dad, as he did all the veterinary work for the Matthews Ranch, and went up to speak with Mr. Watt afterward. He invited our family to be a part of the show.

Albany, Texas, our neighboring town, has always been a special place. So many of my childhood memories revolve around the Fandangle. Summers spent in prairie dresses and Indian costumes, telling the story of the settling of west Texas. Friendships formed over shared experiences in those terribly hot dresses, chigger bites, square dancing circles, and those Indian hair wigs!

The Fandangle began over 75 years ago as the senior play for Albany High School. Bob Nail, a Princeton trained playwright and son of Albany served as the first creative director with his dear friend Alice Reynolds. The town loved the play so much they recreated it as a community theater performance and decided to act out the scenes every year. Now, up to 250 local actors sing the old songs and tell the wonderful stories from our ancestors. Each year, the show is a little different, but the magic comes alive when the sun sets the last two weekends in June.

This year, I took our Rural Young Professionals group to the show.  We heard from my neighbor and the show's narrator, Connie Wood at the Old Jail Art Center before enjoying BBQ and the show.

In the picture on the right, you'll see the famous herd of Longhorns from Ft. Griffin. The song about herding cattle, the Cowboy Prayer has long been one of my favorites.

Also one of my favorite parts of the show? The saloon scenes from the Beehive in old Ft. Griffin.

"Until we meet again, let's go drink up the wine. 

Think of me now and then and remember this heart, 

Too bad we had to part, remember this heart of mine!"