By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – About 100 people are sipping wine and having a good time this evening at Holy Family Parish’s first-ever wine-tasting fundraiser.
Eagle Crest Vineyards form Conesus is providing the wine. Deborah Lill, an employee with the Finger Lakes winery, serves up a glass of wine inside the Lyceum, the former St. Joseph’s School on Main Street.
The wine-tasting is a fundraiser for the parish through the Parish Life Committee, which is headed by Jim Adduci. He is pictured waiting to address the crowd. Adduci is also the Parish Council president.
Eagle Crest supplies the church with wine for communion through its O-Neh-Da Vineyard. It supplies many of the Catholic churches in the state with wine. The wine company did its first parish wine-tasting in 2011 after a church was flooded in Binghamton.
That event proved a successful fundraiser for that parish. Eagle Crest has offered to do similar events for other Catholic churches and now does about 25 wine-tastings for churches in the state. The winery will be in Albany on Sunday for a wine-tasting.
“It’s a great way to bring the community together,” said Lisa Woodhams, one of the leaders of the winery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 April 2014 at 12:00 am
A ladder is set up in an apple orchard along East State Street in Albion. Workers have been out pruning trees. This photo was taken at dusk on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory from 5 p.m. today until noon on Saturday.
Southwest winds at 20 to 30 miles per hour will hit the area with gusts up to 50 mph, the Weather Service said. The wind advisory includes Orleans, Niagara, Erie, Genesee and Chautauqua counties.
The winds could bring down trees, resulting in isolated power outages.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Cheyenna Eagle sings during the Albion High School Jazz Ensemble’s concert tonight at the Cabaret at Studio B. Eagle also plays the keyboards for the ensemble.
The Albion High School Jazz Ensemble for the first time in 36 years had a change in venue for its annual dinner dance. The event had always been in the high school gym.
But this time the show moved to the Cabaret at Studio B and Gotta Dance by Miss Amy. The site was more personal and similar to the ambiance of jazz clubs in many big cities, said Jazz Ensemble Director Michael Thaine.
Mike Thaine, Jazz Ensemble director, introduces members of the group.
The concert also shifted away from a dinner to desserts. The Jazz Ensemble performed two concerts today at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The band dedicated the concert to Wayne Burlison, the group’s assistant director. Mr. Burlison died from colon cancer on March 26. He was 36. The band members wore blue ribbons to raise awareness of colon cancer. The boys also wore blue ties and some of the girls wore blue scarves during the concert.
The Jazz Ensemble performs at the Cabaret at Studio B, which director Michael Thaine said was a better showcase for the students’ skills. The group performed musicial selections inspired by “The Rat Pack” – Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis.
Charlynne Olick plays the alto saxophone for the jazz ensemble.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Local teams see drop off in participants this year
HOLLEY – It’s a rite of passage for many youths: spending the spring making friends on the Little League diamond, swatting mosquitoes in the outfield and chewing sunflower seeds on the bench.
But fewer boys and their families are choosing the sport these days in some local leagues.
Holley typically has 150 players, ages 5 to 17, but only has 60 committed so far. Albion’s Midget League is down from eight to seven teams and many of the teams use to have 15 to 20 players ages 8 to 12. The teams this year typically has 11 or 12 players.
“With electronics kids don’t want to leave the house,” said Heather Colella, director of the Holley Youth Baseball Program.
She said lacrosse seems to be siphoning off some players. Holley’s soccer season also kicks off in late June and Colella said there is some overlap with baseball season. That may be deterring some from playing baseball.
“We’re really down this year for baseball,” she said. “I worry about their socialization. I want these kids to have something to do.”
Colella was director of the league last year and it had a strong year with 150 playing T-ball, coach pitch, Little League and Pony League. There are still two weeks left to sign up for the sport. Players and their parents are welcome to contact her at 585-752-6158 or through the League’s Facebook page by clicking here.
In the Albion Midget League, the numbers seem to be down among the older players, the 11- and 12-year-olds, said Michael Neidert, one of the coaches.
There has been an increase in younger players, which Neidert said bodes well for the future of the league.
“We’re not sure why the numbers are down,” he said about the overall participants. “The kids must be choosing something else.”
The cold spring and the snow and rain haven’t helped get people in a baseball mood. The Albion league has pushed back opening day from May 3 to May 10.
“Normally the kids would be out practicing by now,” Neidert said.
Players are still welcome to sign up for the season in Albion.
Photos by Sue Cook – The Clothing Depot Board (from left) consists of Sharon Breckinridge, Donna Barnum, Alice Zacher, and Sue Metzo. Breckinridge is the sorting room manager. Barnum is the clothing store manager. Zacher is responsible for seasonal and household items. Metzo does finances among many other tasks. Each woman and many of the volunteers are members of different area churches, which work together for the sake of the community, regardless of denomination.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
MEDINA – For more than four decades a group of Medina churches having been running The Clothing Depot, an effort that has helped connect Christians and also provide low-cost clothing to the community.
“I think of it as just recycling God’s world,” said Barb Hancock, a volunteer for 24 years. “We do a prayer before we start. It’s an inspiration and we have great friendships here. It’s really nice working with other Christians. It’s also a good place to come and find things.”
In 1968, the State Department of Education reached out to school superintendents asking them to provide opportunities for equal education to less fortunate students.
A group called the Task Force was formed and in the fall joined with a local Baptist organization of women who were making pajamas for children that had none. The program evolved to helping adults as well and began to incorporate more of the area’s churches.
In 1970, the Medina Area Association of Churches (MAAC) was formed from the groups that had combined and took over operation of The Clothing Depot, which was already established in the community. After moving the location multiple times with the need for more space, The MAAC Clothing Depot moved into the Calvary Church, the former Medina High School. MAAC includes 16 area churches, and welcomes more churches to participate and extend their community outreach.
Debbie Goodwin, front, and Jade Kenyon browse the racks looking for more items to add to their already-full arms.
“All of this is volunteer,” said Sharon Breckinridge. The depot currently has 37 volunteers who give between two and 14 hours a week individually.
“I like to be around the ladies who work here. It’s a good way to keep myself busy since I retired,” said volunteer Rhea Martin.
“It helps the community and makes us all feel good,” said Jerry Brace, a volunteer who also works in the back sorting clothing. “It’s an opportunity that older people can do to serve.”
The depot sells clothing for very low prices. Shirts and pants are $1 for adults and 50 cents for children. The depot also has a half-price day on the fourth Monday of each month. Items such as coats, evening gowns and suits are priced up to $5. Even wedding gowns are available starting at $15. Sometimes customers convert the wedding gowns into communion and baptismal dresses for children. One of their biggest demographics is thrifty mothers replacing items as their children grow out of them.
Anything that is not used doesn’t get thrown away. “We don’t throw much of anything away, unless it’s really, really junk,” stressed Alice Zacher.
The items that are not purchased in the depot are recycled in some form. Clothing is given to St. Pauly Textile near Rochester. The depot also gives blankets to local vet clinics. The really worn clothing is given as rags to a local professional that cleans stove hoods and kitchens.
Metals and electronics are taken to recycling centers. Cardboard is picked up by the Arc of Orleans. Some clothing is also set aside specifically for the Lions Club when it holds its October scarecrow-making contest.
Volunteers sort through the items that get brought to the door or are dropped in the off-hours chute. The make sure that zippers work, the buttons are all attached and that there are no rips or stains. When garage sale season is over, the area near the chute is filled.
“We call that job security,” joked Zacher. “It’s a labor of love. Plain and simple.”
While some who come in need the inexpensive clothing to fulfill a need, sometimes customers come in for items to use in crafts. One customer comes in regularly for silverware to turn it into jewelry items. Rose Schelegel, pictured here with Robert Allard, buys shirts and turns them into aprons.
The depot sells nearly anything clothing or household, except furniture. Besides clothing, there are shoes, games, toys, linens, small electronics and household appliances, jewelry and more. There is even a special section for seasonal decorative items.
The depot is also a huge success in its ability to give back to the community. The MAAC Clothing Depot has donated approximately $35,000 in the last year to various organizations. Twice a year a donation is made to Orleans Community Action.
Hospice, the local food pantries and Habitat for Humanity also receive monetary donations from MAAC, though the list is significantly more extensive, including dozens of other organizations. MAAC even provides scholarships to a select number of students each year in the amount of $500.
“That’s really impressive when you consider we’re only open eight hours a week,” commented Sue Metzo, “and more so when you consider our prices. It’s so thrilling what we do.” She says that prices stay low and gift donations are generous because of the volunteers.
MAAC is also responsible for the Medina Clergy Fellowship, the MAAC Christmas Program and the Medina Area Christian Theater ministries, as well as several outreach programs such as vacation bible school, Lenten luncheons, pastoral counseling and more.
The Clothing Depot is open the public. The building is located at 324 Catherine St. in Medina. The entrance for The MAAC Clothing Depot is in back. The hours are Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and Tuesday evenings from 5 to 7. To volunteer at the MAAC Clothing Depot, call Joanne Arnett at (585) 798-1224. The depot also accepts donated items.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – West Park Street in Albion shows wear and tear from a tough winter.
The new state budget includes $40 million to help municipalities patch roads after the harsh winter. Orleans County municipalities will receive about $250,000 of the “Extreme Winter Recovery Grants,” state Sen. George Maziarz announced today.
The county, villages and towns in Orleans County already receive about $2.5 million in state money through the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program or CHIPS. Those state funds help municipalities with surface improvements on locally-controlled thoroughfares.
In this year’s budget, between CHIPs increases and the EWR grants, Orleans County local governments received aid increases of between 9 percent and 12 percent over last year, Maziarz said.
“As Orleans County residents know, this last winter did a lot of damage to our streets and roads,” Maziarz said. “As a result, we are driving record amounts of aid to local governments so we can help them fix potholes and patch road surfaces. I made this a priority in our budget negotiations and I’m glad we were successful.”
Below is a list of Orleans County municipalities and the street repair funding they are receiving this year:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Two Albion police officers arrived at a fire on Washington Street last night and assisted the occupants in getting out of the building, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said.
Sergeant William Scribner and Officer Robert Wagner helped an intoxicated individual out of the house, and also woke up a woman sleeping on the first floor and assisted her out of the building. The officers were on scene at about 2 a.m. after getting a call about smoke coming from the house, Nenni said.
The Albion Fire Department knocked the fire down and limited the damage to the second floor of 231 Washington St. There were no injuries, Nenni said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Last week an Albion company took down a warehouse that ran along the railroad tracks from Main to Platt streets.
Most of the wreckage has been hauled away in the past week. These photos were taken around noon today. The Environmental Construction Group of Albion has been lead contractor on the project.
The warehouse was taken down to make way for a new 2,000-square-foot Dunkin’ Donuts. The new store is planned to have 30 seats inside, 46 parking spaces, a 230-square-foot freezer next to the building, and a drive-through lane that could accommodate 10 vehicles. The property will have exits on both Main and Platt streets.
ALBION – Two men have a conversation under the awning of H.J. Bailey’s grocery store on Main Street. One of the men took a dog along for the trip.
This snap shot was taken in the late 1890s. There are some iron hitching posts at the curb.
The Waterman Building, which burned about 30 years ago, is seen in the upper right hand corner. The Burrows Block is the long building in center background.
Rendering of GCC’s College and Community Event Center, a $14 million project.
Press release, GCC
BATAVIA – Plans for a new Student Success Center and College and Community Event Center at Genesee Community College have received crucial support from the State of New York.
The new state budget includes funding for the two new buildings at GCC. The state has committed to paying half of the cost of construction. (Click here to see renderings of the buildings.)
“This endorsement of our project by state leaders is certainly exciting news,” said GCC President Dr. James Sunser. “We are grateful for the support of all of our GLOW-area elected state officials. I have no doubt that their support and tenacity helped to secure the funding.”
Plans for the two new buildings grew out of the College’s Facilities Master Plan, which studied current and future needs. The structures are meant to transform the campus in unique ways, supporting the GCC’s academic mission and vision which focuses on three key areas: promoting student success, partnering with the community and maintaining facilities in a cost-effective manner.
The Student Success Center will bring together in one place all the services students need to get their college education started, including the enrollment, admissions, advisement, financial aid and course registration, as well as a variety of other educational and career services. The Student Success Center will be constructed adjacent and attached by a second story bridge to the Conable Technology Building creating a true, outdoor campus quad around the Clock Tower Plaza. The project cost is approximately $5 million.
The state-of-the-art College and Community Event Center expands opportunities for the College to further partner with the community by accommodating a wide variety of events, conferences and sporting activities. At 43,000 square feet the facility will have the largest expanse of public floor space in the four-county region and will attract as many as 500,000 visitors annually. The cost is estimated at just under $14 million.
Just as important as the two new Batavia Campus buildings is the conversion of vacated space into classrooms, labs and other instructional space for critical new academic programs. One of the college’s key priorities is the development of programs that meet emerging workforce needs in the Genesee-Livingston-Orleans-Wyoming region, and help graduates obtain local jobs.
Programs on the horizon include Food Processing Technology, and other agri-business and technology-related programs. The college also plans to begin preparing students for careers in nanotechnology in anticipation of the establishment of the STAMP project in the Genesee County town of Alabama.
With the state funding in place, remaining costs will be covered by the College’s sponsor, Genesee County, and by generous donors who are supporting the Creating Our Future Together Capital Campaign.
“The campaign gives our supporters the opportunity to powerfully leverage their gifts,” said Richard Ensman, director of Development and External Affairs. “Every dollar contributed in support of the campaign leverages more than $5 in other project support, a great incentive to give.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – This file photo shows the top of the Orleans County Courthouse, a building constructed in 1858 and the focal point of a historic district in Albion.
ALBION – A new report puts Orleans County near the top of the list for the best-run counties in the state.
The county has a low debt per capita, doesn’t overspend its budget, has a strong rating from Moody’s, and hasn’t neglected infrastructure maintenance, according to the study in the New York State Bar Association.
The study includes a new set of metrics for evaluating a county. James Coffey, Dr. Robert Christopherson and Patrick Bowen presented the results of their study in the winter issue of the New York State Bar Association’s Municipal Lawyer.
The authors urged municipal attorneys to weigh the factors in the report as they advise municipal boards. The authors say many elected officials don’t look at the long-term health of a government. That includes tackling needed infrastructure projects without taking on too much debt. That may mean raising taxes to maintain and improve the community, the authors said.
The report is critical of “those leaders who cut taxes irresponsibly while allowing the infrastructure of the community they represent to deteriorate.”
They argued that municipalities must be profitable, or they risk bankruptcy. Well-run governments also promote confidence in their communities, spurring investments in housing and businesses.
Orleans is the fourth-rated county in the report, with Herkimer the top-rated followed by Clinton and Seneca. Delaware rounds out the top five.
The five lowest of 62 counties ranked include Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester and Saratoga. Those counties have budgets where their revenue doesn’t cover expenditures. They also have high debt per capita, which results in a larger percentage of tax money going to interest payments rather than directly to services.
Orleans carries a per capita debt of $347 per person, compared to $1,286 in Westchester County and $3,026 in Nassau. Orleans, from 2008 to 2012, also underspent its revenues by 2.68 percent a year. Saratoga was over by 6.08 percent and Nassau went over by 13.28 percent.
“We’ve been conservatively run for a long time,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.
The county’s budget for 2014 totals $79.8 million. That includes a first-time debt payment of $475,000 for an upgraded emergency communication system.
Nesbitt said the county is looking at other projects, including new roofs for the County Administration Building and Public Safety Building. It also has 68 bridges and about 500 culverts in its inventory.
The county has an A1 rating from Moody’s, which County Treasurer Susan Heard said, “is a great rating for a county our size.”
Moody’s gives the county a high rating partly because of a low debt burden and a stable tax base. Moody’s has recommended a larger fund balance for the county. Orleans has about $5 million in reserve funds, but Heard said county legislators have opted to not raise taxes to grow the reserve funds.
“It could be higher but the county has chosen to instead lower taxes,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
The melting snow has filled ditches with water along roads and created trails of mud. The top photo shows a ditch along West Countyhouse Road in Albion near the grain facility owned by Panek Farms.
The water and mud aren’t going anywhere soon. The forecast for Friday includes a high of 53 degrees with a 100 percent chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service. On Saturday it could snow, the Weather Service advised.
This photo shows geese flying over Route 98 in Barre.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2014 at 12:00 am
4-H’ers finish third year of building a robot with skills
Provided photos – The Orleans County 4-H Robotics Team poses for a photo at the regional competition last week at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The group includes, front row, from left: Liz Meyer, Hayden Allis and Kelsey Evoy. Back row: Michael Reese, Mack Lamirand, Marlene Seielstad, Morgan Seielstad, Brad Lamirand, Don Allis, Trevor Scott-Avery, Sam Reese, Jairus Martin, John Redshaw, Andrea Schwartz, Alyssa Shortridge, and Erik Seielstad. Team member Ben Miller and Nick Ettinger are missing from photo.
ALBION – A team may be called Joe’s Average Slackers, but the group of high schoolers from Albion and Medina is hardly lacking in determination.
For the third straight year, Orleans County fielded a robotics team through its 4-H program. The team competed in a regional competition last Thursday through Saturday at Rochester Institute of Technology.
The Orleans students built a robot and programmed it to perform tasks – grabbing and shooting a big ball, and also playing defense against others teams.
The team named its robot,“Animal,” and it scores during the competition.
The Orleans team lost several close matches and didn’t come home with a trophy at the RIT competition that included 49 teams.
“It isn’t just about winning,” said Erik Seielstad, one of the mentor’s for the program. “It goes beyond the robots and winning. There’s an opportunity to interact with kids.”
The 12-member team started meeting in January, brainstorming the design for its robot. It met at RS Automations in Albion. The company is one of many supporters for the program, which requires about $25,000 annually in sponsor support to pay for the robot, equipment and entry fees.
Some of the other main sponsors are Baxter Healthcare in Medina, Xerox in Rochester, the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, Stanton Signs in Medina, Takeform in Medina, and the 4-H Youth Development program.
Some of the drive team members wait for their cue to take the field for an upcoming match.
The Orleans team competes in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). There aren’t many robotics teams from rural areas. Marlene Seielstad, Erik’s wife and one of the mentors, praised the community support for the program.
“It’s worth every penny for what the kids get out of it,” she said. “When we were done the kids were so positive and they all had smiles. That’s the kind of team you want.”
The Orleans team gave Congressman Chris Collins a tour of their setup at RIT on Friday. Kelsey Evoy and Liz Meyer explained how they built the robot and the rules of the game to the congressman, who has a background in engineering.
The teams at RIT came from all over New York, with others teams from Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada.
Three teams advanced to a competition in St. Louis. Those teams include the Lockport Warlocks, Newfane Circuit Stompers and Clifton Park Rocketeers.
The team from Orleans County, No. 4093, plays defense during the competition.
Joe’s Average Slackers and the Orleans 4-H will host a 6:30 p.m. informational meeting on May 7 at the Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Knowlesville.
The Seielstads said more team members will be needed next year because half of this year’s group will be graduating. For more information, e-mail the Seielstads at robotics@wiksclan.com.
Susan Fancher – By Marsha Rivers, Eastman at Albion
ALBION When world-class saxophonist Susan Fancher thinks back on her growing-up years in “lil’ old Albion,” she attributes her early success to encouraging teachers, excellent peers, and two highly motivating factors in the life of any kid: Praise and attention.
Albion school music teachers Mike Snyder, Bill Furioso, Sid Bolton and Mike Grammatico “just gave me so much encouragement and confidence,” Fancher recalls. “It goes to show that being a music teacher is more than just teaching an instrument it’s grabbing onto the interest you see in your students and nurturing it.”
Albion Central School announced last week that it is being recognized for the seventh straight year among the “Best Communities for Music Education” by the North American Music Merchants.
Not only did Fancher’s teachers keep her motivated. So did her fellow students several of whom also pursued music careers and her church and community. She gave some her first performances for the congregation of the Barre Center Presbyterian Church and at the Orleans County nursing home.
Fancher also credits her parents, Judy Fancher of Barre and the late Laverne Fancher, for their tremendous support. And she cites her sister Sandy Fancher Bastedo as “one of the most important fellow musicians of my childhood. I grew up listening to her beautiful piano playing and had the good fortune of having her as my accompanist.”
Many of Fancher’s family and friends will be present Sunday to enjoy a decades-more sophisticated performance at the First Presbyterian Church, 29 East State St., starting at 3 p.m.
Fancher will team with fellow saxophonist and Eastman professor Chien-Kwan Lin in the final installment of this year’s Eastman at Albion Courthouse Square Concert Series. Lin’s wife Pi-Lin Ni, who also teaches at Eastman, will collaborate with the sax players on piano.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back and performing for the hometown crowd,” Fancher said. “And Chien-Kwan and I we’re part of this tight-knit group of ‘sax geeks’ from around the world. We’ve talked about playing together for years, and now the stars have aligned for this to happen. It’s going to be so much fun.”
Fancher’s path to professional musicianship took some global twists and turns. Mike Grammatico, who became her main teacher in Albion, accompanied her to the All-State Music Festival her senior year. While she was in rehearsals, he inquired of other New York music teachers about the best colleges for studying saxophone. She applied and got accepted to all four recommendations but landed at Northwestern University in Chicago, mainly because of the excellent financial aid package they offered her.
Chien-Kwan Lin
Fancher jokes that she was “Miss Practicality” and didn’t plan to rely on her music to pay her bills. She started out as a music education major, so she would be prepared to teach, but her love of mathematics led to her first “twist.” After feeling challenged and invigorated by an invitation-only honors calculus course her freshman year, she decided by sophomore year to pursue math even more rigorously, while still studying and performing on sax.
Graduating three years later with a dual degree in music performance (not education) and math, Fancher faced the next “turn”: An invitation to study sax in Bordeaux, France, which did and loved for a year. There, she met Mark Engebretson, who was to become her partner in life and music. After a brief time putting her math degree to work at a major health insurance company in Chicago and not loving it Fancher returned to Northwestern as Ph.D. math student. A year later, another opportunity found Fancher and Engebretson returning to Europe as husband and wife and musical collaborators.
After two years in Stockholm followed by three years in Vienna, Fancher says she and her husband “finally felt secure in their desire to be professional musicians.”
She laughs about how difficult it was to make peace with that possibility. “We talked about how we didn’t want that freelance life,” she says, “with no money, no security we thought it would be too scary.”
But they lived it and loved it and, Fancher says, “wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Back to the States. Both earned their doctoral degrees in music and now teach Mark, music composition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Susan, saxophone at Duke Univeristy. The couple has a daughter, Eva, and both spouses play in the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet, named for the distinctive soil in the area where they live.
Though fully committed to the musical life, Fancher admits she sometimes gets discouragedabout the lack of pay, the long hours of practice, the odd hours of performance.
“But it gives me so much joy to play for people when they enjoy it so much and when it provides therapy for them.”
Fancher recounts a time when a social services worker approached her after Rollin’ Phones sax quartet concert in Sweden. The woman had obviously been weeping and she told Fancher how much she had gleaned from the performance.
“I had a horrible day,” she said. “I had to remove a child from her home and it was awful. I wasn’t going to come tonight. I wasn’t feeling up to it. But I’m so glad I did. The music meant so much to me.”
“When things like that happen,” Fancher affirms, “it’s worth it. Music shows there is still beauty and kindness in the world in a way nothing else can.”
For more information on Sunday’s “Sax Appeal” concert, visit EastmanatAlbion.com. Tickets are available for purchase in Albion at Bindings Bookstore, 28 W. Bank St.; Blooms Flower Shop, 139 S. Main St.; Fischer’s Newsroom, 105 N. Main St, and in Medina at a lily and a sparrow, 510 Main St., and in Batavia at Roxy’s Music Store, 228 W. Main St. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Albion Alumni Foundation Scholarships. The church is handicapped accessible.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Pastor Jack Laskowski and his wife Debbie cook spaghetti for a dinner at the First United Methodist Church of Albion this evening. The church promoted the meal as “Pastor Jack’s Famous Spaghetti.”
The church has several dinners that are open to the community each year, with spaghetti, chicken barbecue and lasagna on the menu. Laskowski is also the pastor of the United Methodist Church in Holley.
