Photo by Tom Rivers: Downtown Albion is shown in this file photo from March 6.

ALBION – Village officials will be holding public meetings on Thursday at Hoag Library to go over two programs that could bring in state resources to the community.

One program focuses on vacant rental property and the other is an economic and community development initiative.

The first meeting at 5 p.m. focuses on a vacant property rental program. Landlords and property owners with vacant rental units are encouraged to attend the informational session.

It will detail the Vacant Property Rental Rehabilitation Program through the state. Village officials and G&G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing will lead the session at the library.

This state-funded program provides financial assistance to property owners to rehabilitate vacant rental units and return them to active use, helping to increase the supply of quality rental housing and support revitalization efforts in Albion, according to a press release from the village.

Attendees at the meeting will learn about program eligibility requirements, available funding, the application process, and how disbursements are handled.

“This initiative presents an excellent opportunity for property owners to invest in their buildings while contributing to Albion’s housing stability and future growth,” G&G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing stated in the press release. “We’re excited to help local property owners understand how to take full advantage of the program.”

For questions or additional information, contact G&G at scott@ggprocess.com or (315) 921-4008.

Albion will then have a second public information meeting at 6 p.m. with this one about a potential application for Round 5 of the NY Forward program, which could offer up to$4.5 million to boost economic development, tourism, housing and other projects. Medina was awarded this grant in 2023.

“The Village is exploring a NY Forward Round 5 application to build momentum, attract investment, and enhance our downtown and community assets including the Erie Canal, Bullard Park, the Heritage Trail and more,” according to an announcement from the Village of Albion.

CannaWave sells legal products grown locally in Waterport

Photos by Tom Rivers: Rick Stacey (third from left) is the owner of CannaWave at 162 South Main St. He is pictured with employees, from left: bud tender Brian Cunningham, co-manager Alyssa Winder and co-manager Jacob Shaw.

ALBION – A legal cannabis shop will be having its grand opening celebration in Albion today and on Saturday.

CannaWave opened in July at 162 South Main St. The business sells products grown locally in Waterport at Hydro-Grow NY. It also carries products from other legal producers.

CannaWave is Orleans County’s only licensed adult-use cannabis dispensary. It sells lab-tested flower, edibles, vape carts and beverages to local adult consumers.

Rick Stacey of Albion owns the business. A process engineer, he also owns RS Automation on Route 98 in Albion, and he owns a greenhouse in Waterport where the plants are grown for many of the products at CannaWave.

Rick Stacey, owner of CannaWave, is on the ground floor of the state’s emerging legal cannabis market. The name of the business ties into its close proximity to the waves of Lake Ontario.

Stacey said he was drawn to the cannabis business seeing it as a way to offer safe products to consumers. The products are all heavily tested and regulated. He has videos inside the store showing the cannabis plants being grown and harvested at his greenhouse, Hydro-Grow NY Inc.

He is happy to share the test results of all the products. An independent lab takes samples and the cannabis products need to pass state standards for residual solvents, microbials, heavy metals, mycotoxins and pesticides. CannaWave grows its plants in an enclosed greenhouse in Waterport that is conducive to the safety standards, Stacey said.

“As a local, family-run business, we care deeply about our neighbors and the community we live in,” he said. “CannaWave is built on providing a safe, professional and transparent environment where the customers can feel confident about where their products come from and how they are grown.”

Provided photo: The cannabis plants are grown at a greenhouse in Waterport, making the operation a seed-to-sale vertically integrated business.

Stacey also owns Hydro-Grow at 4015 Oak Orchard Rd. He initially was focused on cannabinoid hemp at Hydro-Grow, which started in 2019.

The state legalized adult-use cannabis for people 21 and older in 2021, and the first adult-use dispensary opened in December 2022. There are now 1,039 licensed adult-use retailers statewide.

Stacey has a license to grow cannabis plants at the 20,000-square-foot greenhouse. He uses his expertise in advanced industrial engineering in growing the cannabis plants.

Hydro-Grow features proprietary automated environmental controls, custom software integration, specialized fertigation systems and prevision HVAC chiller.

Hydro-Grow can fine-tune lighting, humidity, airflow and plant nutrients around the clock, producing clean, contaminant-free flower without heavy chemical inputs. The flower, sold in bags by an eighth of an ounce, is the top sellers so far at CannaWave.

At Hydro-Grow, Stacey said the operation merges industrial process engineering with sustainable horticultural science.

“By controlling every parameter of the cultivation environment right here in Albion, we ensure consistent product quality, strict safety testing, and sustainable energy efficiency,” he said.

These products are packaged for sale at CannaWave and include bags of fresh flower at an eighth of an ounce which are $30 each. That includes a 13 percent tax. The state gets a 9 percent tax, with the county 1 percent and the village 3 percent.

The dispensary features CannaWave-cultivated strains alongside curated selections of state-licensed edibles, beverages, tinctures and topicals.

‘There has been a lot of positive feedback,” Stacey said about CannaWave. “People don’t have to drive to the reservation, and they feel it’s safer.”

There are six employees at CannaWave, and the staff works to educate customers. Some customers use the products for anxiety and pain relief, and others are recreational users.

Stacey said the safe, transparent and approachable atmosphere helps to destigmatize cannabis products. He said the adult customers include curious first-timers to experienced patients and those seeking wellness alternatives.

CannaWave is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For additional information, including product menus, check cannawaveny.com or the verified listings on Weedmaps.

Photos courtesy of Albion Central School: Introducing the Albion NHS 2026-27 class of inductees: Front (Left to Right): Peyton Dimatteo, Julia Graham, Makenzie Cook, Sophia Bouchey, Chloe Mosele, Tra’Monie Walker, Aniela Wilson and Abigail Faskel. Back (Left to Right): Kasia Robinson, Alivia Dumrese, Adelaide Pettit, Nathan Wehling, Drake Schomske, Alex Yankevich, Lilian Fisher and Sadie Money. Missing from picture: Cordelia Rivers.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – Albion’s Charles D’Amico High School National Honor Society (NHS) inducted 17 new members into its ranks this school year. The ceremony was held in Albion’s middle school auditorium on the evening of Oct. 29.

Founded in 1921, the NHS is built upon four pillars; scholarship, service, leadership and character. In order to be eligible, inductees must exhibit all four qualities, be recommended by a faculty member and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 90% or higher.

Current members led the ceremony and guided inductees through the NHS Pledge. After the inductees took the oath, they each accepted their membership pin and signed their names within the book that holds the names of all Albion members before them.

The ceremony included recognition of outstanding Albion staff members, decided on by current NHS members. The following individuals were chosen for exemplifying one of the four NHS pillars:

• Scholarship: Kathy Winans, High School Special Education Teacher
• Service: Christina Snook, High School Secretary
• Leadership: Valerie Pettit, High School Counselor
• Character: Sherry Zayac, High School Career and Technical Education Teacher

Middle school teacher Patrick Uveino was honored with the Albion NHS Excellence in Teaching Award for deeply embodying what it means to be a Purple Eagle. Students selected him for his unwavering dedication and his ability to strongly connect with students and empower them to be the best versions of themselves.

Uveino, who has taught health and coached various sports at Albion for 27 years, served as the guest speaker at the ceremony. In his remarks, he congratulated inductees and dared them to dream big and stay relentless in the pursuit of their goals. He emphasized that above all else, it is their character that defines them at the end of the day.

“Step outside your comfort zone, follow your heart, and embrace the uniqueness of others,” he said. “True character isn’t about standing above others, but about using your values to lift others up.”

Current members: Front (Left to Right): Lorelei Gailie, Maddison Button, Anna Grillo, Yaritza Fernandez Perez, Brooke Doty, Lily Brigham and Carley Smith. Back (Left to Right): Ava Woolston, Mason Snook, Nicholas Luft, Adam Burgio and Olivia Andrews. Missing from picture: Jaxon Lynch, Jackson Snook, Logan Kast, Heidi Franco-Lopez, Jillian LeBaron and Shayla Cruz.

Friendly dog, antique Chevy trucks and Sasquatch part of farm ambiance

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Valerie Collins, an artist from Clarendon, is shown with a picture of a Sasquatch in an apple orchard. Collins has this painting and two others on display through November at Hoag Library in Albion.

She created three paintings at local farms and wanted to highlight an unusual feature that the farms use to connect with the public.

At Robert Farms Market in Medina, the family has two very big Sasquatch statues at the market, 11170 Maple Ridge Rd. The Roberts family has a sense of humor. They also make their own apple cider and sell 20 varieties of apples, other produce and flowers from their garden center.

Valerie Collins on Wednesday hangs a painting of a 1950s Chevy truck at Panek Farms on West County House Road in Albion. The Panek family has several classic trucks and vehicles on display at site, where they sell pumpkins, strawberries, Christmas trees and other products.

The old trucks are in great shape and featured in the Albion Strawberry Festival parade each June.

Lenny, a German Shepherd, is a fixture at the Gardens of Colehill in Holley. Alana and Chad Fabry welcome families to the farm for blueberry picking. They strive to not use any pesticides at the farm, where they also produce honey and garlic. The farm is located at 3569 North Main Street Rd.

Collins received a state grant administered through the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council for the project, which she calls, “Keepers of the Land.” She wanted to highlight family farms that she said are the backbone of the community.

“This is one of the nice things about Orleans County,” she said about the agricultural landscape. “We’re still rural and we have family farms.”

She worries about the loss of farmland to solar facilities and the potential impact of data centers on agriculture.

She will have a reception at the library from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday if people want to meet her and hear more about the oil paintings, which are 16 by 20 inches.

Collins retired in April as the coordinator of the Ogden Senior Center in Spencerport. That has given her more time for her paintings and artwork.

She also has paintings featured in upcoming art shows at the Gillam Grant Community Center in Bergen and Eli Fish in Batavia.

Collins said she enjoys unwinding in the evening by working on her paintings.

“There is a drive to make it look like what’s inside my head,” she said. “It’s like magic.”

Collins said she would like to do more paintings of farms in Orleans County, focusing on ones in the northern part of Orleans.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bill Lattin is like clockwork with a weekly duty: watering the plants at Hoag Library and winding an antique clock.

Lattin took on the tasks when Hoag Library opened in July 2012. The clock and most of the plants were moved from the former Swan Library, which had been Albion’s public library from 1900 to mid-2012.

Most of the furnishings at Hoag Library were brand new. But some old bookshelves and the clock made the trip a few blocks south to the new library on Main Street.

Lattin estimates the clock is from the late 1880s to early 1890s. It’s not a grandfather clock and it doesn’t chime or have bells. The Swan Library staff wanted a quiet clock. He thinks the clock was on the wall when Swan first opened. He has seen in some old photos of the library’s earliest days.

He climbs on a small ladder every Wednesday afternoon and winds the clock, but not too tight or it won’t keep time perfectly. Wind it too much and it could be off a few minutes when he’s back the following week.

Lattin had some added work today because the clock needed to be set back an hour. He was a few days after the fact with clocks falling back an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

After winding the clock, Lattin fills a container with water. He gets the big plants upstairs first then checks the ones in the lounge area by the magazines.

He is steady every week in what he calls “wind and water” day.

“It gives it consistency,” he said.

He knows how the clock can be delicate duty and he thinks the plants respond better to watering the same time, every week. He tries not to saturate the soil with too much water. He feels the dirt first to get a sense of how much water the plants need.

Lattin, who is retired as the county historian and Cobblestone Museum director, has quietly gone about the tasks at the library without much notice. But I saw him today and was impressed by how committed he has been to this unglamorous chore.

Bill latin checks the soil to get a feel for how much water to give the plant at Hoag Library.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A disc golf course at Bullard that opened about three years ago recently added some finishing touches. There are now concrete tee boxes for players to launch their frisbees on first throws of each of the nine holes.

There are also colorful signs that note the hole, distance and a layout. The baskets in the distance are mounted in small concrete foundations – 8 inches wide by 20 inches deep.

The course is known as the Albion Purple Drift DGC (Disc Golf Course). It opened in 2023 and was funded through a grant by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. The Orleans County YMCA secured the grant which also funded a disc golf course in Medina at Gulf Street Park.

The Albion course is a par 28 and totals 2,423 feet. It has a 3.6 rating among 68 respondents on udisc.com.

The most recent reviewer on Oct. 10 was complimentary of the course, which is on the west side of the park, including one very close to Sandy Creek.

“Really nice 9 hole course. Low ceilings on a few holes are tough, but fair enough. Recommend trying this one out,” the reviewer wrote on Oct. 10.

The holes range in distance from 201 feet as the shortest to the 412-foot hole 9, the longest and the only par 4.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Teachers Association handed put lots of candy this evening during Beggar’s Nite. Many businesses and organizations were set up in the downtown business district given out treats to hundreds of kids in costume.

Kyle Holz, pastor of Community of Hope, formerly known as the Albion Free Methodist Church, dressed up as a hamburger. The church had eight different stations with glow sticks, treats, Bibles and crosses. There were also inflatable games, popcorn and hot chocolate.

Canalside Community Church also passed out goodies and materials.

Ava Waters passes out candy The Tree House, which is owned by her mother, Michelle Waters. That preschool is at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex and was part of Beggar’s Nite for the first time. Businesses and organizations that aren’t in the downtown are welcome to give out candy for Beggar’s Nite.

Stephanie Stinson, left, and Stephanie Ward greeted children and gave them candy when they stopped by Albion Agencies.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office had bags of candy ready for the kids. Sheriff Chris Bourke was there, and so was Chief Deputy Torry Tooley, Amy Sherman (Sheriff’s Account manager) and Sherman’s daughter, Savannah who passed out most of the candy.

Albion mayor Tim McMurray dressed up as a scary inflatable character outside the Village Office, which was one of the stops for candy.

Lions Club members Marie Snyder and Kevin Howard were happy to disburse treats.

Tara Thom and Brenda Radzinski had a big pot of candy outside the Town and Country Quilt Shop on East Bank Street.

Rose Friedl and other staff at the Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern kept pace with lines of children.

The Dancing Fireside Witches performed some broom dances on Main Street.

Lori Laine, one of the Dancing Fireside Witches, gets a video of the broom-dance troupe.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Sgt. Dillon Black of the Albion Police Department presents a proposal to the Albion Village Board on Wednesday for the Albion PD to offer firearm safety courses. Mayor Tim McMurray hears the proposal with Village Trustee William Gabalski at left.

ALBION – The Albion Police Department wants to offer an 18-hour class for people seeking to get a Concealed Carry Pistol Permit from New York State.

Sergeant Dillon Black presented the proposal to the Village Board on Wednesday and board members said they support the plan, but first want to hear for village attorney John Sansone and the village’s insurance carrier.

The APD would charge $300 for the class, with village residents getting a discount, according to the proposal.

Two Albion police officers are already certified to lead the class as firearms instructors and a third officer may become certified, Black told the board. His father, Corey Black, was a long-time instructor of a pistol permit class in Orleans County.

Sgt. Black of the APD proposed a class with 16 hours of classroom learning and 2 hours of live-fire range training.

The Village Board said it would make a decision during its Nov. 18 meeting and expects an approval.

Black would like to start with a smaller class of about 8 students and expand to a maximum of 30 in the future.

He told the board it would cost the village about $100 per student with staff time to run the class, plus ammunition and printing of coursework and certificates.

The police department would like any revenue generated to stay in the police budget and go into the APD reserve funds, Sgt. Black said.

Henry Smith recognized for 25 years of service to club

Provided photos

ALBION – The Albion Lions Club welcomed two new members this week. The photo shows, from left: Lions Club member June Persia with new members John Bigley and Pam Jenks. They are joined by Melanie Adams, a member of the Clarendon Lions Club and a past district governor. Persia sponsored the new members.

The Albion Lions meet at the Masonic Lodge on Platt Street. The club celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2024 and continues to do many community service projects in Albion.

The club honored Henry Smith Jr. for his 25 years of service to the Albion Lions. He received a certificate from Club President Ron Albertson, right. Ben Lennox, a member, is shown at left.

Provided photos

ALBION – Mike Donahue was presented a Quilt of Valor on Oct. 17 during a ceremony at the Vets Club. Donahue, a Navy veteran, has been active for many years in the Honor Guard for veterans, and also with the American Legion and VFW.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation was started in 2003 and has presented more than 450,000 quilts to veterans to honor their service.

The quilt for Donahue was presented by Barbara Frost and it was pieced, quilted and bound by Lisa Feor. For more information on Quilts of Valor, click here.

Mike Donahue is shown as the bugler while Taps was played as part of the Honor Guard on Dec. 15, 2024 during a ceremony at Mount Albion Cemetery for Wreaths Across America.