Betterment Committee offering peek at future Santa center today

Group selling items inside 128 North Main Street in effort to clear out site

Photo from Albion Betterment Committee: These bins of items are available for $10 each today from noon to 1 p.m.

ALBION – The Albion Betterment Committee, which recently purchased 128 North Main St., is offering a glimpse of the site today for the public, and also a chance to help clear out the site by purchasing plastic bins of items.

Those bins are $10 each. There are also old doors and some furniture that will be for sale. The Betterment Committee will be at the site today from noon to 1 p.m.

People won’t be able to look through the bins to see what is inside before buying a bin.

“We have no idea what are in some of these bins but you might find some gems!” the Betterment Committee posted on Facebook. “All the money we raise will go back into the building!”

The Betterment Committee purchased the building last month from the estate of Henri Pulley. The site is 6,600 square feet.

The Betterment Committee wants to turn the vacant two-story building on Main Street into a tourism center that celebrates Santa. The group wants to develop an interactive tourism center with displays about the Charles W. Howard Santa School and Christmas Park, which Howard ran for many years near his farmhouse on Phipps Road.

Howard ran a Santa School from 1937 until his death in 1966. It was the world’s first school for Santas. He was a well-known portrayer of Santa, appearing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade from 1948 to 1965.

The Betterment Committee envisions the first floor as interactive exhibits and displays, as well as room for a bakery and food operator. The site could also offer services, including showers, for canal boaters, cyclists and other visitors.

The second floor is envisioned to offer space for artists – painters, potters, and others in need of studio space. The second floor has large windows that let in natural light that would be ideal for artists, said Natasha Wasuck, a member of the Betterment Committee.

The group is seeking grants to help with building upgrades. The Betterment Committee welcomes donations.

The group is a 501c3 organization that accepts tax deductible donations. Donations can be sent to Albion Betterment Committee, c/o Joe Gehl at 14487 Baker Rd. in Kent, NY 14477.

There is an online giving option. Click here for more information.