This year’s Strawberry Festival theme celebrates the lift bridges
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Ingersoll Street lift bridge, one of two vertical lift bridges in Albion, is pictured this afternoon.
ALBION – The planning committee for the Strawberry Festival has picked its theme for this year’s festival and it highlights the lift bridges in the community.
The Main Street and Ingersoll Street lift bridges were both built just over a century ago between 1911 and 1914.
The Strawberry Festival is in its 33rd year. This year’s event on June 7-8 has the theme: “Albion’s lift bridges celebrating 100 years and still lifting.”
Each year a theme is picked to highlight a local asset. Last year the theme was “Celebrate Cobblestone Country.” In 2017, there was a Santa Claus theme in honor of the late Charles Howard, who founded a Santa Claus School in Albion.
The theme will be highlighted in posters and in the parade floats.
Don Bishop, chairman of the planning committee, said the lift bridges are marvels, still carrying many tons up high when boats pass underneath.
“They’re a hundred years old and still working,” he said. “How many things do you know of that are a hundred years old and still working?”
Orleans County has seven of the 16 lift bridges on the Erie Canal, and Albion has two of them. Others are located in Medina, Knowlesville, Eagle Harbor, Hulberton and Holley.
The Albion Rotary Club is the Strawberry Festival sponsor. Many community members help organize the event. Bishop welcomes more volunteers to help put on the festival. For more information, contact him at (585) 637-2422.
The Ingersoll Street lift bridge had major repairs about a decade ago.
