Albion group wants a bronze Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion Village Trustee Joyce Riley joins Brian Porter, a sculptor, after he presented a clay model of a reindeer.
ALBION – A group in Albion wants to do more to proclaim and celebrate Albion’s history with a Santa School and Christmas Park.
A group led by Village Trustee Joyce Riley would like to have a bronze statue of reindeer on display in the community. Lori Laine, leader of a group celebrating Christmas in Albion, also is pushing for the bronze reindeer. She suggested the idea in a recent meeting attended by Riley, and the village trustee agreed it made sense for Albion.
The mold from that statue could be used to produce other reindeer that wouldn’t be in bronze but would be durable enough to be outside year-round. Riley would like to see the reindeer in many locations in the community.
“I see it as a way to generate excitement in Albion,” Riley said.
Some of the deer could include artwork to highlight the history of the community, she said.
Brian Porter, a sculptor from near Lockport, created the bronze statue of Santa that was unveiled in Albion in June 2023. He also made the statue of soldier that was dedicated in September 2019 outside the former Medina Armory that is now the Orleans County YMCA.
Brian Porter envisions Rudolph as a strong reindeer. He researched caribou, which are reindeer, to create this three-dimensional model of Rudolph. He said the nose could be made in a red bronze.
Porter would like to make the statue of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This afternoon he presented a small clay model of a reindeer to Riley, Village Trustee Tim McMurray and Village-Clerk Treasurer Tracy Van Skiver. Porter researched caribou, which are reindeer, to create a strong-looking animal, much different from the small and bashful Rudolph popularized in a book and TV show.
Porter saw other artist renderings of Santa with reindeer, and many show powerful reindeer that pulled Santa’s sleigh in an epic trek around the world.
“I feel adopted by Albion,” Porter said about a positive experience working on the bronze Santa, a project spearheaded by the Albion Betterment Committee. “I’ve had a wonderful experience in Albion and Medina.”
Brian Porter created the bronze statue of Santa which was unveiled in June 2023. It was done in honor of Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa School and Christmas Park in Albion.
Riley said there are a lot of details to work out with the location and fundraising for the bronze reindeer. She sees a project with a lot of potential to help Albion celebrate its Santa and Christmas legacy.
Porter estimates the bronze statue of a reindeer, at feet high and 6 feet long, would be about $65,000. The final costs will depend on the bronze charges from a foundry.
The replicas reindeer would be far cheaper because the mold would be done and less expensive material could be used. Riley would like to have the full set of Santa’s reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
Riley said she will ask for the full Village Board’s permission to pursue the project and have a life-size clay mold created in time for a September festival celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal. That clay model would be $12,500.
Riley welcomes donations and grants of all sizes if the effort moves forward. Those interested in helping with the project are welcome to send Riley an email at jriley@villageofalbionny.com.
Brian Porter also made the 7-foot-high bronze statue of a soldier outside the former Medina Armory, which is now the Orleans County YMCA. Porter is shown during a Sept. 7, 2019 dedication ceremony for that statue. That project honored the 550 soldiers who trained at the Armory from 1898 to 1947 and they fought in four major conflicts: the Spanish American War, Mexican Border Incursion, World War I and World War II.
