Photos by Tom Rivers: Kim Hazel, the Albion town clerk, helps to corral the turtles after the race in the Erie Canal this afternoon.

ALBION – The turtle race is one of the afternoon highlights during the second day of the Albion Strawberry Festival. There are usually 1,000 turtles in the race. This year the race was expanded with a capacity of 1,500. There ended up being 1,200 tickets sold. Each turtle represented two tickets – one in a green number and one in yellow.

Organizers also expanded the prizes from five for $1,000 total to six winners at $1,700 total.

The winners included: first place at $500 (two) – Kevin Sheehan and Mindy Recco; second place at $250 (two) – Joe Sidonio and Village of Albion (ticket bought by mayor Tim McMurray); third place at $100 (two) – Don Colquhoun and Tracey VanSkiver.

Several of winners opted to donate the prize winnings back to the festival.

The turtles get dumped from the Main Street bridge. From left include County legislator Skip Draper, and top ticket seller Jarred Saj, the Turtle, Strawberry Festival Princess Hazel Bringenberg, Queen Julia Graham, High School principal Jennifer Ashbery, Sheriff Chris Bourke, Orleans County Emergency Management director Justin Niederhofer, Albion mayor Tim McMurray, Albion Police Chief Dave Mogle and Aric Albright, Albion’s sewer plant superintendent.

Jarred Saj walks in the parade next to the Turtle mascot. Saj has been the perennial top ticket seller for the race. Thos year he set a new by selling 580 of the 1,200 tickets. He broke last year’s record of 480. Saj said he starts selling the tickets in February. They are $5 each or five for $20. The proceeds go towards helping to fund the festival.

Saj sold three of six winning tickets – Kevin Sheehan, Joe Sidonio and Don Colquhoun.

Corey Winters, director of the Orleans County Planning and Development Department, and Kim Hazel, the Albion town clerk, are in kayaks and they wait for the winning turtles.

A good-size crowd gathered along the canal to watch the action. The rubber turtles make quick work of the race due to some wind and the current in the canal.

After last year’s race lasted about a hour, this year’s was done in about 8 minutes.

Chris and Karen Watt have retired from the business

From left, Chris and Karen Watt are with Renee Hungerford, director of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, and Main Street store manager Cassie Healy, after the Watts donated truckloads of merchandise to the store.

ALBION – Community Action’s Main Street Thrifts, Gifts and More Store recently received a massive donation of merchandise that will result in tremendous benefit to the store, and ultimately, the community.

“We are so excited about this generous gift,” said Renee Hungerford, director of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee. “Since I have been in healthcare, Karen has always been a strong advocate for me and my work, and for that I am truly grateful.”

Store manager Cassie Healy explained how the donation came about.

“Several weeks ago, I received a call from Karen asking if there was any way we could pick up some stuff from their gift shop,” Healy said. “She said there was shelving and lots of merchandise.”

“Lots” turned out to be an understatement.

“We filled our trucks twice and our van two or three times,” Healy said.

 Merchandise included the entire stock of Watts Farm former gift shop and farm market, such as garden and lawn décor, pictures, a lot of gift items (all new) and cabinets.

Karen Watt stands amid some of the items she recently donated to Community Action’s Main Street Thrifts, Gifts and More Store.

“This is going to help our entire agency,” Healy said. “We are going to send some shelving to our other locations. This merchandise will offer our customers new options when shopping and expand our customer base. There are many things we don’t usually have, such as outdoor flags, garden decorations and greeting cars. Our shelves are bursting at the seams.”

“We are incredibly grateful to Karen Watt and Watt Farms for their generous donations from the former farm market,” Hungerford said. “These items are a wonderful addition to our Main Street Corner Thrifts, Gifts and More store, helping us continue to offer quality merchandise at affordable proves for our community. Partnerships like this make a meaningful difference, and we really appreciate their support.”

The store is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays in the summer.

The store is located at 131 South Main St. in Albion.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The food court on East Bank Street was packed on Friday evening for the Albion Strawberry Festival.

There are about 25 food vendors this year for the festival. The festival expanded the food court area to include the village municipal lot at Platt and Bank Street.

The Strawberry Festival continues today. The two-day event first started in 1986.

Heidi Pask, left, and Tiffany Crawford have fun making a strawberry shortcake sundae outside the First Presbyterian Church of Albion, which hosted a chicken barbecue. Steven Crawford is in back. The trio are members of the Albion Music Boosters.

The band, Stanton, performed on the lawn in front of the County Courthouse. Mike Zelazny, front, plays the guitar while Greg Stanton is the lead singer. Matt Stanton is on bass (back right), Frank Sarchia on drums, and Rick Braham plays guitar (back left).

The Stanton band plays cover tunes from Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty, Tragically Hip, the Byrds, Joe Cocker, Traveling Wilburys, Barry McGuire, J.J. Cale, America, Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, the Who, Beatles, Steppenwolf, Roy Orbison, Kiss, Rolling Stones, Monkees, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, Marshall Tucker Band, Van Morrison and John Mellencamp.

A trackless train gave kids a ride around the Courthouse Square.

The family fun center included many games, face painting, bounce houses, a small fry tractor pull and also a chance to pet a rabbit. The Cornell Cooperative Extension brought the rabbit and also made tickets available for the upcoming fair at buy one get one free ($10 for week-long admission).

Abby Smith, the CCE communications coordinator and digital literacy program coordinator, joined CCE executive director Robertt Batt with the rabbit. The mini lop is owned by Batt’s daughter, Gracie.

The band V3 performed at the west end of East bank Street in the food court. They are shown singing “Zombie” by The Cranberries. V3 includes lead singer Kole Moore, Alex Fitzak on guitar, Jesse Neely on bass, and Shelby Starr, the drummer.

Today’s schedule includes:

• 8 a.m. – 5k/8k race with start on East State Street near Courthouse
• 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Craft vendors open (Craft Area Sponsored by Renovation Lodge #97: Albion Masons)
• 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. – Food vendors open with new options and locations for 2026!
• 10 a.m. – Parade (Sponsored by Nathan Lyman) Marching bands include: The Gates Keystone Police Pipes & Drums, Downbeat Percussion, Mighty St. Joes Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps, Holley/Kendall HS, Pembroke Dragons, Batavia HS, Albion Purple Eagles, Mark Time Marchers, Damascus Shriners Mini-Cars & much more!
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Cruise-In on East State Street (Sponsored by Renovation Lodge #97: Albion Masons)
• 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Soul Street, Food Court East Stage
• 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Black Cherry Voodoo, Courthouse Square Stage
• 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. –Festival Family Fun Center Free Fun: Main Street with Interactive Family Games, Bounce Houses, McDonalds Characters (2 to 5 p.m.) Other Fun for a Fee: Main Street – “I Got it!”, Face Painting and Caricatures
• 1 to 5 p.m. – Car Seat Safety Check, Albion Police Department, East Park Street
• 1 to 5 p.m. – Child Safety IDs, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, East Park Street
• 2 p.m. – Turtle Race, Erie Canal Bridge
• 3 to 5 p.m. – Chris Moore, outside at Marti’s on Main, 20 S. Main St.
• 3 to 5:30 p.m. – 104 Country, Food Court West Stage
• 5:30 to 8 p.m. – The Who Dats Band, Food Court East Stage

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Everly Sprague, 3, of Kendall gets a strawberry painted on her face by artist Alex Thom of Lockport.

The Albion Strawberry Festival started today and has a full schedules of events over two days.

Becky Karls leads the festival committee in her third year as chairperson. She said there are 75 arts and crafts vendors, 25 food vendors and 25 other businesses with displays at the festival.

She said the committee has worked hard the past year on the festival.

Trevor Thaine is committee leader of the arts and crafts vendors. The 75 vendors this year is up from 65 last year. Thaine said the vendors come from as far as Oswego, Albany and the Finger Lakes. Most are from Orleans County and the neighboring counties.

The crafters like the small town feel of the Strawberry Festival and the big crowd after the parade on Saturday. The parade starts at 10 a.m.

Thaine has been a vendor the past 15 years as an ambassador for Tastefully Simple.

Christine Mann serves up a pulled pork meal with cole slaw at Mann vs. Food which she runs with her husband, Scott, who is in the back. East Bank Street is full of food vendors.

A customer looks to try some of the kettle corn, which was available in several flavors, including strawberry.

Pastor Al Wilson and his wife Ykeeta serve up a strawberry shortcake in abooth run by the Royal Body Shop Ministries.

The festival schedule for today includes:

• 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. – Food vendors open
• 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Craft vendors open (Craft area sponsored by Renovation Lodge #97: Albion Masons)
• 3 to 7 p.m. – Festival Family Fun Center Free Fun: Main Street Pedal Tractor Pull, Interactive Family Games, Bounce Houses
• Other Fun for a Fee: Main Street – “I Got it!,” Trackless Train, Face Painting and Caricatures
• 4 to 6:30 p.m. – Chicken BBQ and Strawberry Shortcake, First Presbyterian Church
• 4 to 6:30 p.m. – Feedback, Food Court East Stage
• 5 to 7 p.m. – Stanton Rock N Roll Band Courthouse Square Stage
• 6:30 to 9 p.m. – V3, Food Court West Stage
• 7 to 9 p.m. – Jim Aina outside at Marti’s on Main, 20 S. Main St.