Albany Mall back-to-school fashion show set for Saturday
Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
By Alan Mauldin
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ALBANY – Saturday’s back-to-school fashion show will feature local talent – teachers and students walking the runway at the Albany Mall to show off the local trends heading into the 2024-2025 school year.
School starts for Dougherty County students on July 31, and opens in Lee County on Aug. 7.
In addition to the threads on display during Saturday’s back-to-school fashion show, scheduled for 1-3 p.m. in the mall food court, local organizations that assist students and families will be on hand.
The venue has hosted similar shows in the past put on by a single store, but Albany Mall Manager Chris Cook said that to his knowledge, Saturday’s show is the first in which all of the three anchors of the mall — Belk, JCPenney and Dillard’s — have all participated.
“So this is going to be a special one,” he said. “We have done them, but we haven’t done it in a while, so we’re trying to make it a big one. It’s been several years since we’ve put on a fashion show like this. We’re hoping to have a special event.”
The focus of the fashion show will be clothing that area school systems allow students to wear, Cook said.
There also will be several prize giveaways during the event, which will kick off with remarks by Albany Mayor Bo Dorough. Local organizations will be on hand to promote the services they can provide to students.
While the early planning was about encouraging area residents to support the local economy and stores, the focus grew to make it about much more, JCPenney Manager James Pewitt said.
“This is about the children,” he said. “The fashion show is a small part of it. It is also about encouraging the community to be involved in back to school.
“It’s really more so about the kids and encouraging them and making them aware of what’s available in the community.”
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