This photo shows Charles W. Howard with a Santa at Christmas Park in Albion. Howard operated the Park and a school for Santa Claus in Albion until his death on May 1, 1966.

ALBION – A group that has been doing projects in Albion to honor the life of Charles W. Howard, the founder of a Santa Claus School, wants to name Route 31 in Albion in honor of Howard.

The Albion Betterment Committee would like there to be signs at each end of Route 31 in the Town of Albion, declaring that section to be in honor of Howard, who established the school in 1937 and ran it until his death in 1966. The school was located at the corner of Phipps Road and Route 31. (The school has been moved to Midland, Michigan, and still bears Charles Howard’s name.)

The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday will vote whether to support the effort. The Legislature has a resolution on the agenda for the 4:30 meeting, which is in the new addition of the County Administration Building.

The resolution states:

“WHEREAS, Mr. Charles W. Howard was a resident of the Town of Albion for his entire life; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard was proud of his home town, county and country; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard brought national acclaim to himself and his home town by establishing the world’s first Santa Claus School; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard portrayed Santa Claus in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 18 years;

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard passed away in 1966 without receiving from his local neighbors the proper recognition he deserved; and

WHEREAS, the Albion Betterment Committee (a not-for-profit charitable organization which was formed in 2003 with the intent to promote the area’s natural assets and to set the area apart from every other community in the country) is asking support to dedicate a portion of the NYS Route 31 in Memory of Charles W. Howard; now bet it

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Albion Betterment Committee had this sign honoring Charles Howard erected in 2015. It is on Route 98, on property owned by Gil and Donna Wolcott, north of Route 31A.

RESOLVED, that the Orleans County Legislature supports the Albion Betterment Committee in their request from the State of New York to have a portion of State Route 31 – when entering the Town of Albion (Northwest corner of Transit Road from the east to Southeast corner of Wood Road from the west) to be dedicated in Charles W. Howard’s name; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Legislature supports signage to be placed along that portion of Route 31 to read: THIS SECTION OF NEW YORK STATE ROUTE 31 IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF CHARLES W. HOWARD, A LOCAL FARMER WHO FOUNDED THE WORLD’S FIRST SANTA CLAUS SCHOOL.”

The Betterment Committee in recent years has put up a “Believe” in downtown Albion, replaced the Santa Claus School sign at Howard’s property (now owned by Robin and Jill Stinson), and erected a welcome sign on Route 98 that declares Albion is the home of Howard, founder of the Santa Claus School. That sign includes a cutout of Howard’s likeness in a Santa suit.

The Betterment Committee has also raised more than $30,000 for a monument in downtown Albion for Howard. The group also has been a regular participant in the Strawberry Festival Parade with a Santa and Mrs. Claus waving to the crowd.

This wouldn’t be the first time in Orleans County a state road was named in honor of people. Route 98 in Genesee and Orleans counties in 2014 was named the Genesee and Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway. A brown sign with white letters was unveiled on May 22, 2014. That sign is by the Orleans County Marine Park in Point Breeze. Click here to see photos of the sign unveiling.

The state also approved naming Route 104 in Orleans County as the “American Legion Memorial Highway in Orleans County.”

The Albion Rotary Club last year worked with artist Stacey Kirby to have a 24-foot-long mural of Charles Howard as Santa in a sleigh over downtown Albion.

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Group has ideas to build on Santa theme for Albion

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A plaque has been added next to the bronze statue of a Santa Claus in downtown Albion at Waterman Park. (This photo makes it look bigger than reality. It doesn’t quite go waist high.)

The statue was dedicated during the Strawberry Festival on June 10. It was created by sculptor Brian Porter.

The project was led by the Albion Betterment Committee as a tribute to the late Charles Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion beginning in 1937. He remains revered by the Santa community for helping to shape the look of Santa and how people should act while interacting with children.

The group wanted a plaque to provide a snapshot of Howard’s life and impact.

This photo shows Charles W. Howard with a Santa at Christmas Park in Albion. Howard operated the Park and a school for Santa Claus in Albion until his death on May 1, 1966.

The plaque reads:

CHARLES W. HOWARD (1896-1966)

“Charles W. Howard first portrayed Santa as a boy in a classroom play. As an adult he played Santa in a  store front window in downtown Albion and then, Rochester and Buffalo. This experience encouraged him to perfect the role of Santa Claus.

“Charles was disheartened by the quality of Santa being portrayed in stores. He created a ‘school’ to teach the proper appearance and demeanor of Santa. He established the world’s first Santa Claus School in the fall of 1937. His school became so popular that it was eventually recognized world-wide.

“Charles converted his farm in Albion into Christmas Park with a Christmas and Santa theme. The park provided Santa’s Castle where he trained Santas in the off-season.

“He became the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa and retained that distinction for 18 years – until his death in 1966.

“One of Charles’s most famous quotes was ‘He errs who thinks Santa enters through the chimney. He enters through the heart.’

Albion Lions Club member

Santa Claus Hall of Fame Charter Member – December, 2010”

Other community members are trying to build on the Santa theme. Lori Laine put a post on Facebook and wrote a letter to the editor, encouraging people to attend a meeting on Monday evening to brainstorm Santa ideas.

The group has four projects for now, including a lighted holiday parade on Dec. 9.

“We need lots of  floats, cars, wagons, golf carts all lit up!” Laine posted today on Facebook. “Don’t have a vehicle to light up? We can have marchers this year!”

Susan Oschmann is coordinating the effort and has applications for participants.

“The more the merrier, let’s light up the night!” Laine said.

The group also would like to adopt a light pole with Christmas decorations. Maureen Bennett is the person to reach out to for more information.

Laine also would like to see a tour of the churches in the historic Courthouse Square. “Many folks have never see the inner beauty of these historic churches,” she said.

The group also is planning weekly Christmas caroling in the community in an effort headed up by Karen Conn, an Albion music teacher and owner of a real estate business.

Some other ideas to promote the Christmas spirit: a 5K Santa run, sledding at Bullard Park with hot cocoa, and a “Santa Shanty” for people to meet Santa.

The group will next meet at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Hoag Library to discuss the projects.

Statue honors legacy of Charles W. Howard who ran Santa School and Christmas Park in Albion

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A bronze statue was unveiled today at about noon honoring Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 until 1966.

Leaders of the Albion Betterment Committee – Gary Kent, Gary Derwick (behind Kent) and Joe Gehl – are joined by three Santas in celebrating the unveiling of the statue.

When the covering was removed from the statue, confetti was shot into the air.

The Betterment Committee worked on the project for eight years, raising about $80,000 from the local community without any grants or state funding.

Mary Ida Doan, center, takes a close look at the statue depicting Charles W. Howard. She and her late husband, Nate Doan, both graduated from the Santa School led by Howard. She traveled from Michigan to be in Albion for the dedication. She was joined by her son Jack.

Mrs. Doan said Howard “was like family” and she didn’t want to miss the statue unveiling.

After Howard’s death in 1966, Nate and Mary Ida Doan continued the school in Howard’s name. They would eventually move the school to Bay City, Mich. and they served as the school deans until Tom Valent took over the leadership in 1987. Mr. Valent continues to lead the school today in Midland, Mich. and he has kept the school in Howard’s name.

Three of Charles Howard’s grandchildren and pictured with the three Albion Betterment Committee directors who have worked on the statue project the past eight years. From left include Charles Howard’s grandchildren Susan Howard Brown, Charles Bergeman and Jane Holland and ABC directors Gary Derwick, Joe Gehl and Gary Kent.

The statue of Charles Howard in a Santa suit is in front of a 24-foot-long mural created in 2018 by Stacey Kirby Steward, an Albion native.

The new statue is at ground level so people can easily get close and get a picture with him, with the mural providing a striking backdrop for photos. The statue is just about life size at 6 feet tall.

Gary Simboli, a retired Albion music teacher, leads the group in Christmas music, including “Here Comes Santa Claus,” before the statue dedication. To the left are members of Charles Howard’s family, including three grandchildren and great-children. Mary Ida Doan and her son Jeff from Michigan also attended the celebration today in Albion.

Jane Holland of Williamsville, Charlie Howard’s granddaughter, thanked many people in the Albion community for working to honor her grandfather. She made special note of Ken McPherson of Medina, who is a Charles W. Howard Santa School graduate and a collector of memorabilia for the school and Christmas Park.

Holland said everyone can be a part of Howard’s legacy by asking themselves a simple question: “What can we do to make somebody else’s life brighter?” she said.

Howard’s grandson, Charles Bergeman of Lewiston, said he was named after his grandfather and was called “little Charles” when he was growing up.

Brian Porter, the sculptor of the statue, had experts on Howard over several times to his home and studio. In one visit to Porter’s home, Bergeman suggested the cheeks needed to be a little bigger to better reflect the likeness of his grandfather. Bergeman smiled and Porter took a photo, and used that image to shape the cheeks on the statue. Bergeman said the final look is perfect in capturing the look of his grandfather in a Santa suit that Howard himself designed.

Gary Derwick, Joe Gehl Gehl and Gary Kent, leaders of the Albion Betterment Committee, were the driving forces in raising money for the statue and seeing the project to fruition. The community gave $80,000 towards the project. There weren’t any grants or government money towards the statue.

Kent said Howard remains a revered leader in the Santa community. Kent was able to see that first-hand during Santa conferences in Albion in 2010 and 2015, when people who portray Santa traveled all over the country to come to Howard’s hometown.

Some of those people were disappointed there wasn’t more done in the community to celebrate Howard.

The Betterment Committee has since put up “Believe” signs, installed a lighted welcome sign with a cutout of Howard in a Santa suite on Route 98, upgraded a sign at the former Santa School site, and supported other projects honoring Howard, including the mural at Waterman Park where the statue is located.

Kent and the ABC group believe celebrating and highlighting some of the community’s history can help Albion be more vibrant today. Putting in the statue in the downtown should help bring more people to the business district in the heart of the community.

A crowd gathered at Waterman Park, which is a half block south of the Erie Canal. The Albion Betterment Committee thanked donors for making the project a reality.

Susan Howard Brown, second from right, is Charles Howard’s granddaughter. She made a 6-hour drive from Michigan to be at the statue unveiling. She is joined by her son William Brown and his girlfriend Catherine Crowell (left), and daughter Stephanie Brown and her fiancé Steven Evans. Santa Vern from Boonville, NY also joined the celebration.

Stephanie Brown, Howard’s great-granddaughter, said “the magic of Christmas” remains very special in the family, as well as Howard’s role leading the first Santa school. He was a prominent Santa who also starred in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for nearly 20 years.

“It’s nice to see that he is treasured here,” Brown said after the statue dedication. “He loved people and it’s nice to see the people around here love him back.”

Brian Porter, a sculptor from Pendleton, is photographed with the statue he created over about 18 months. Porter also is the sculptor for the bronze statue of a soldier outside the Orleans County YMCA, which is the former Medina Armory.

The statue in Medina of the soldier was dedicated on Sept. 7, 2019 in a project honoring the 550 soldiers who trained at the Armory from 1898 to 1947. They fought in four major conflicts: the Spanish American War, Mexican Border Incursion, World War I and World War II.

Many people stopped by the statue today to get a photo, including Stacey Kirby Steward, the mural artist of the Santa in a sleigh over the courthouse and downtown Albion. She visited the statue with her niece Rosemary Kirby, center, and daughter Skylar.

Mary Ida Doan, a Charles W. Howard Santa School graduate from when Charles Howard taught the school, gives the statue a close inspection. Howard’s family and local Santa enthusiast Ken McPherson of Medina also touch the statue and give it a close look. They all said the statue is a fitting tribute to the man who helped so many people serve in the role as Santa.

Bronze statue in honor of Charles W. Howard to be dedicated June 10; more parade entries sought

Photo by Tom Rivers: The concrete footer that will be the base for a new bronze statue was poured in early May at Waterman Park on North Main Street. A bronze statue looking like Santa Claus will be dedicated after  the parade on June 10 at approximately 11:30 a.m. The 24-foot-long mural of Santa in flight over downtown Albion was created by Albion native Stacey Kirby Steward in 2018.

ALBION – The upcoming 35^th anniversary Strawberry Festival has a theme “Here Comes Santa!” The festival committee wants to celebrate the dedication of a bronze statue of Santa Claus.

The Albion betterment Committee has been raising money for the statue for about a decade. It will be dedicated after the parade on June 10 at about 11:30 a.m.

The statue is in honor of the late Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa school in Albion from 1937 to 1966 and also operated Christmas Park. Howard is revered in the Santa community and a school still bears his name in Midland, Mich. that trains people portraying Santa Claus.

The Albion Betterment Committee encourages people, especially in the parade, to wear Santa hats, elf costumes or other Christmas costumes.

Participants in the Strawberry Festival 5k/8k will be giving Santa hats for the race at 8 a.m. on June 10 and the shirt for the race has a Santa and strawberry design. Click here for more on the race.

June Persia, the festival chairperson, said the event is coming together and will include some changes due to the Main Street lift bridge being out of service for a major rehabilitation project.

The parade route will end by turning onto West Bank Street, instead of crossing the bridge. With the bridge out of commission, that has allowed organizers to use part of North Main Street for some activities.

The section from Bank Street to Beaver Alley will host a cornhole tournament on Friday evening, June 9. There also will be alcohol available in a wine and beer tent in an event organized by Dubby’s Tailgate.

Persia said the festival mainstays will be back with about 60 craft vendors signed up so far, a full food court, a classic car show and a lineup of bands and entertainment.

She welcomes more floats and entries in the parade that starts at 10 a.m. on June 10. Those floats are needed to space out the marching bands and other musicians in the parade. For more information about being in the parade, reach out to Persia at 585-704-1994.

The “amazing turtle race,” which features 1,000 rubber turtles floating on the Erie Canal, will have a different starting point. The turtles are usually launched from the Main Street lift bridge. This time they will be let go from a Sheriff’s boat.

“I’m looking to bring the community together and to welcome people from outside Albion to see what our village is really about,” Persia said. “This has been a very successful event in the village. We want to see it grow.”

Bronze statue honoring Charles Howard to be dedicated June 10

Photos by Tom Rivers: Santa and Mrs. Claus attended the June 2018 Strawberry Festival parade and greeted the crowd along Main Street.

ALBION – Organizers of the Albion Strawberry Festival announced the two-day event will be back June 9-10 with some changes due to the Main Street lift bridge being closed.

The parade route, which used to head north on Main Street over the bridge, will instead turn left on West Bank Street, said June Persia, chairwoman of the festival.

The organizers also are seeking the state Department of Transportation’s permission to close Main Street to traffic from Park Street to the bridge. A detour would be expected to send traffic down East Park Street to work their way over to the Ingersoll Street bridge for those headed north.

A statue of Santa, in clay form, was shown to the Albion Betterment Committee on April 23. The statue will be cast in bronze and is on schedule to be ready in time for the Strawberry Festival.

This year’s festival has a theme of “Here Comes Santa” to celebrate the unveiling on a new bronze statue in the likeness of Santa. It will be in Waterman Park, about a half block south of the canal.

Brian Porter, a sculptor from Pendleton, is creating the statue and it is on schedule to be ready in time for the festival. It will be dedicated on June 10 in honor of the late Charles W. Howard, who ran a world-famous Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966, and also operated Christmas Park.

Howard remains a revered figure among Santa impersonators. The Santa School is now in Midland, Mich. and still bears his name.

Volunteers are discussing ways to have more festival fun. Persia said a cornhole tournament on Main Street, near the closed off bridge, is one possibility. Organizers are looking for more activities that would be fun for adults, while keeping the children’s entertainment.

Persia has been helping to plan the festival for the past decade. She looks forward to the two-day event with live entertainment, a food court, arts and crafts vendors, a 5k/8k race, the parade and other activities. This will be the 35^th Strawberry Festival.

“I want to see the community come together,” she said about the festival. “I like to see people come into our village. We have a beautiful village.”

A team of volunteers is needed to plan and run the event. More volunteers are welcome Persia said. The planning committee meets twice monthly, alternating every two weeks from a morning meeting to an evening meeting.

The next meeting will be 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Hoag Library. For more information, reach out to Persia at (585) 704-1994.