Wood fired pizza mobile business will continue

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Alexander family completed a busy day Saturday at Dubby’s Tailgate, the last one at 165 Platt St. for Dubby’s.

Brian and Rebecca Alexander opened the business about 5 ½ years ago. They said lease and building issues forced them to close Dubby’s Tailgate but they are hopeful Dubby’s Tailgate will be back at another location in the future.

“This is a bump in the road and not a dead end,” Brian said on Saturday night.

The top photo includes Brian and Rebecca and their five children as well as employee Madison Muckle at far right. Pictured from left include Brian, Maxine, Rebecca, Barrett, Abby, Michael, Lily Strickland and Madison Muckle. The Alexanders employed about 10 people at Dubby’s outside of their family over the years.

Dubby’s operated out of a 10,000-square-foot warehouse that proved a great venue for cornhole tournaments, parties, benefits, and other special events, including a wine-tasting after party with musicians for the Albion Merchants Association, Orleans County’s Family Game Night and the Home and garden Show for the Chamber of Commerce.

Rebecca Alexander cooked out of a wood-fired oven on Saturday. Her husband Brian and their daughter Abby also are shown in the busy kitchen. Abby said she racked up 18,000 steps by the end of evening.

Dubby’s will continue the wood-fired pizza mobile business that started about eight years ago. This Friday they will be at the Red Rocks Ponds RV Resort on Canal Road in Holley.

The Alexanders said they appreciated the strong community support for Dubby’s Tailgate, which featured the restaurant and many tailgate games, including cornhole, pool, “Fowling” a combination of football and bowling, Skeeball, darts and other activities.

The Alexanders said they are proud the concept as an “eater-tainment” business worked. They made many friends and were pleased to see the many benefits raise money for people in a health crisis.

Brian and Rebecca Alexander are shown by a Dubby’s Tailgate mural inside the warehouse that offered many games for people to have fun. Dubby’s hosted popular cornhole leagues and tournaments. Some of those tournaments had 100 teams, and brought in professional players.

Debbie Prest helped put on some of the benefits, and has been a loyal customer from day one at Dubby’s Tailgate. One of the benefits was in her honor after she was diagnosed with cancer.

“They have definitely contributed to the community and to everybody,” Prest said on Saturday at a counter inside Dubby’s.

She praised the Alexanders for not charging a rental fee to host the benefits, and they welcomed outside groups to cook chicken barbecues on site as additional fundraisers for the beneficiaries of the benefits even though Dubby’s didn’t get any direct revenue from the chicken barbecues.

Dubby’s also had plenty of space to put baskets up for raffle. Some of the benefits had well over 100 baskets and other larger items.

Prest said she admires how the family with five children works well together.

There were more than 150 baskets up for raffle on July 20, 2025 during a benefit at Dubby’s for Debbie Prest. Dubby’s hosted many benefits and community events in the past five years.

Tina and Jeremy Neal often would dine out at Dubby’s, meeting there for dinner after her Friday shift at Ace Hardware. Their late son Byron loved the cheese pizza at Dubby’s. His parents would often order that pizza in his honor.

“We adore these people,” Tina said about the Alexanders. “They are lovely people.”

On Saturday, Tina ordered pizza logs while Jeremy had an Uncle Tony pizza with meatballs and creamy garlic drizzle.

Mike Beach has been the cornhole league coordinator the past five years. Dubby’s proved a great venue for the league and tournaments. Albion is located between Rochester and Buffalo and the tournaments drew players from both metro areas.

Dubby’s also had space for 14 boards to be played at once. Most other tournament sites have space for 5 to 8 boards. Dubby’s also has the restaurant and bar on site, where many locations might just offer pizza slices and hot dogs.

“People love it here,” Beach said on Saturday after a final cornhole tournament. “It had the best of everything.”

He was happy to coordinate the league and tournaments, pleased to see people socializing in Albion.

“Here you had a place to hang out,” he said. “There was nothing like it. We’ve met so many people and had so much fun here the past five years.”

Brian and Rebecca said they want to recreate Dubby’s Tailgate at another location. They learned some lessons with the Platt Street location, and they know the business model works.

“We’re not going out because we weren’t unsuccessful,” Rebecca said. “We were just hitting our groove.”

Logan Kast led the project for Eagle Scout rank

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Logan Kast, a Boy Scout in Troop 164 in Albion, led scouts today in putting a garden in behind UConnectCare’s residence for 25 women on Butts Road.

Logan, a junior in high school, has been in scouts since first grade. He worked to put in the garden for his Eagle Scout project.

He said he hopes the garden is therapeutic for the residents.

He has completed all of his merit badges and the project will fulfill the requirements to earn scouting’s highest honor.

Logan will follow his brother Tyler and father John as Eagle Scouts.

Jax Gotte works on the garden with other scouts. Other scouts who helped today, besides Logan Kast and Jax Gotte, include Stryker Braley, Leo Gotte, Jack Breuilly, Peter Stritzinger, Sebastian Stritzinger and Colton Durow, as well as scout leaders Jeff Braley and Ben Metcalf.

Logan Kast works on the garden with the other scouts. Logan appreciated local donations to the project, including brown mulch and gravel from Art Hill Construction, pavers from Kast Farms, flowers from Roberts Farm Markets and Kirby’s Farm Market, and a bench from Kathy Kast.

Logan said he plans to attend Texas A&M after he graduates from Albion to pursue range land management and wildlife biology. His brother Tyler and sister Sierra graduated from Texas A&M.

Logan said he is grateful through the opportunities through Boy Scouts.

“I love helping my community, being outdoors and being around nature,” he said.

Dawn Hollenbeck has started chemo for lymphoma

Provided photos

ALBION – Members of the Albion senior class had their “prank” on Thursday, but didn’t get into any mischief. Instead seniors stopped teachers and other visitors and asked for donations to park in the school lots.

The top photo shows one of their signs, and seniors Gideon Pask and Neveya Barnes.

The fundraiser took in $1,125.80 for the family of Dawn Hollenbeck, a mother of 14 who has been diagnosed with large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stage 3. One of her children is Victoria Hollenbeck, an Albion senior. Mrs. Hollenbeck also has 11 grandchildren.

This group of seniors includes, from left: Victoria Hollenbeck, Abby Kincaid, Julia Button and Aubrey Gannon.

Dawn Hollenbeck started chemotherapy treatments last week. She and her husband Brian are long-time Albion residents.

Dawn worked for many years at Burger King and most recently at Taco Bell.

Her husband is disabled. He previously owned a pest extermination business.

The students were praised for rallying around the mother of a classmate.

There is a GoFundMe set up for the Hollenbeck family and additional fundraisers are being planned.

Hanna Kumalac, left, and Nisi Beltran Roblero helped with the fundraiser on Thursday.

Press Release, Albion Fire Department

ALBION – On Saturday, May 30, the volunteer members of the Albion Fire Department will hold their annual memorial service at the firemen’s monument. It is located on the west side of Mount Albion Cemetery, right by the koi fish pond.

Beginning at 9:45 a.m., the fire trucks will depart from the Albion Joint Fire District headquarters and will proceed in procession to the Mount Albion Cemetery.  Once there, members and guests will gather for a formal memorial service to honor those who have served and those we have lost.

We welcome and encourage the entire community, families, friends and supporters to join us as we pay tribute to our fallen members. Thank you in advance for your participation in this annual event.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Casimer Pruski, a member of the Knights of Columbus, marches in today’s Memorial Day parade in Albion. Behind him Joe Pawlak holds a sign, “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.”

Veterans march down Main Street in Albion on their way to East Avenue and the front of the middle school where there was a Memorial Day service.

Phil Warne of the American Legion carries the American flag in the parade.

Boy Scouts marched in the flag with Stryker Braley carrying the American flag and Graham Firby holding the flag for Troop 164.

Rob Conner drives an Albion fire truck in the parade.

The Albion marching band performed in the parade.

The drum majors for the band this year include Gideon Pask and Hanna Kumalac.

The marching band heads down South Main Street past Hoag Library.

ALBION – The Albion Betterment Committee, which has planted numerous dogwood trees in Albion, wants to see more trees planted in the village.

The ABC will be selling trees today at cost from 4 to 6 p.m. at Bullard Park. There will be 10 white oaks at $4.90 each and 10 white dogwoods for $7.50 each. The white oaks are about 4 to 5 feet high while the dogwoods are 3 feet high.

Gary Kent, an ABC board member, said the white oaks are good wildlife trees. They are slow growing and very hard. The dogwoods are flowering trees in the spring.

Alexander family will continue food truck business

Photos by Tom Rivers: Rebecca and Brian Alexander are shown with one of their games – “soccer pool” – offered at Dubby’s Tailgate at 165 Platt St. in Albion. Dubby’s featured many backyard or tailgate games at a 10,000 square-foot warehouse, and hosted many cornhole tournaments.

ALBION – Dubby’s Tailgate, which has hosted many cornhole tournaments and community fundraisers the past five years, will be closing on May 30 “due to circumstances beyond our control,” the Alexander family posted on Facebook.

Rebecca and Brian Alexander opened Dubby’s in 2021, and turned a 10,000-square-foot warehouse into an “eater-tainment” business. They served up food cooked in a wood-fired oven while offering many backyard and tailgate games in the warehouse.

They opened Dubby’s after running a food truck for three years. Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza will continue as a mobile business, the family said.

“We are incredibly grateful for every single person who supported us, shared a meal with us, and became a part of the Dubby’s family,” the Alexander family stated. “We’ve made memories that will last a lifetime.”

They will be offering some closing specials in the coming days.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you from the entire Dubby’s family,” the Alexanders said. “We don’t see this as a goodbye, but rather a ‘see you later’ on the road!”

The mascots from McDonald’s, Grimace and Hamburglar, greeted kids inside Dubby’s on Oct. 9, 2025 for Family Game Night. There were 472 people registered, and the total attendance was likely even closer to 500. That is the most in the 11 years of Family Game Night. Dubby’s hosted many community events in the past five years.

Provided photo: Dubby’s Tailgate owners Rebecca Alexander, left, and Brian Alexander, right, are joined by American Cornhole League champions Miranda Coy and Lori Dool during a tournament on March 22, 2025. Dubby’s brought 108 teams to the area for the tournament. The 216 total players made it the biggest tournament so far for Dubby’s.

Many of the players came from outside Orleans County, including some American Cornhole league pros and the two top-ranked female players. Dool is a graduate of Lockport High School who now resides in Delray Beach, FL. Many of her family members came to Dubby’s in Albion to see her play in person.

More than 1,000 people went through Dubby’s on Jan. 27, 2024 at a benefit for Saul Harrison. Harrison was fighting myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells.

There was a big turnout for Harrison, who is still remembered as a powerful football player for Albion. But the 1992 graduate these days is known for his mild manner and gentleness as a youthcare worker for the county and a deacon at the Shiloh Church.

Dubby’s hosted many other benefits for the community.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A transformer is moved on a large trailer last Wednesday. This photo was taken when the oversize load was on Allen Road before turning onto Route 98. The transformer was taken to Byron for a solar power project.

ALBION – Another oversize load will be moved from Albion to Byron on Wednesday, a week after State Police provided an escort for a transformer for a solar project.

The load will be moved from 9 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m., starting again by the railroad tracks on Hamilton Street in Albion. The load heads south to Allen Road, then east to Route 98.

It will then go south through Albion, Barre and to Lockport Road in Elba. It then goes east on North Byron Road to Searls Road to Tower Hill Road and then Byron Road in Byron.

“The width of this load will obstruct oncoming traffic,” State Police said in a media advisory. “The height of this load will necessitate the lifting of most overhead wires and traffic control devices. The load will move into oncoming traffic to avoid overhead obstructions.”

The weight of the load will keep speeds to around 5 to 10 miles per hour with many stoppages.

Route 98 will be closed for an undisclosed amount of time to all traffic from Old Orchard Road to Lockport Road, State Police said.

“It is recommended that if you encounter this load, move to the shoulder of the roadway, into a driveway or parking lot or seek an alternate route of travel to your destination,” State Police said. “Lower your window and follow directions from State Police or escort vehicles.”

Photos by Tom Rivers: Canal Corp. employees raise the flags on Thursday at the Ingersoll Street lift bridge in Albion. The flags include the American flag, New York State flag and the Canal Corp. flag.

The Erie Canal officially opened today for its 202^nd consecutive navigational season.

The canal is coming off the bicentennial celebration for when the historic waterway was completed in 1825, linking Buffalo on Lake Erie to Albany on the Hudson River.

This season the canal will be open to boaters from May 15 to Oct. 14. There will again be no tolls or fees for recreational use of the canal system.

The standard operating hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

There are extended hours until 9 p.m. from May 16 through September 10 at select locks and lift bridges, including the lift bridges in Spencerport, Adams Basin, Brockport, Holley, Hulberton, Albion, Eagle Harbor, Knowlesville, Medina, Middleport, Gasport and Lockport.

Here is the scene last week looking east from the Main Street lift bridge towards the Ingersoll Street lift bridge.

Photos courtesy of Tim Archer

ALBION – Two new historic markers were installed this week, one honoring Revolutionary War soldiers at Tanner Cemetery on Route 31, across from Mount Albion Cemetery, and the other at Annis Cemetery on Riches Corners Road.

The markers were installed by Albion highway superintendent Mike Neidert and the highway department.

The funding for the markers was secured by Albion eighth-graders Luci Borello and Sutton Sanders through the Pomeroy Foundation. Two more markers will be unveiled on Saturday in Hulberton.

The Tanner Cemetery marker recognizes “Patriot Burials.” The marker notes the cemetery had burials as early as 1825, and Revolutionary War soldiers Jedidah Phelps and William Tanner are buried there. This marker includes a special insignia on them indicating partnership with the Sons of the American Revolution.

The marker for Annis Cemetery also notes there were burials there as early as 1825. The cemetery includes young children, war veterans and early immigrants from England.

There will be a 10:30 a.m. ceremony at Pierce-Smith Pioneer Cemetery, 3960 Hulberton Rd. for the Hulberton markers. The public is welcome to attend and bring a lawn chair.

The ceremony is student-organized and will be part of a celebration for the 250th anniversary of the United States. Both Revolutionary War and Civil War re-enactors will be present.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, and Sue Starkweather Miller, Village of Albion historian, lead a tour of Mount Albion Cemetery on Aug. 3, 2025.

Press Release, Orleans County Historical Association

ALBION – The Orleans County Historical Association (OCHA) once again welcomes the community to their monthly history talks and August cemetery tours.

The history talks are held from May to October on the last Wednesday of the month at 7p.m. in the Gaines Basin Cobblestone Schoolhouse on 3286 Gaines Basin Rd. The talks are free and donations are gladly accepted.

Many of this year’s presentations will spotlight the Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of our country and state (NY 250).

The schedule includes:

• May 27 – “DAR Celebrates 250 years of Independence” with Patrice Birner, Orleans County DAR
• June 24 – “The Haudenosaunee Perspective of NY 250” with Terry Abrams, Niagara County Historical Society
• July 29 – “Soldiers Who Served in the Revolutionary War from Orleans County” with Tim Archer, retired Service-Learning Educator, Albion School District
• Aug. 26 – “Songs and Stories of the Erie Canal” with Don Dwyer, musician and storyteller
• Sept. 30 – “The Burned Over District Part Deux! The Fire Was Not Easily Extinguished” with Doug Miller, retired history teacher
• Oct. 28 – “Neat Stuff from the Hoag Library Special History Collections” with Dee Robinson, Hoag Local History Reference Librarian

The tour last summer at Mount Albion included a stop in front of the Civil War Memorial, a 68-foot-high tower in on honor of nearly 500 people from Orleans County who were killed in the Civil War.

The popular summer cemetery tours will once again take place this August. All tours begin at 6 p.m. at the cemetery main entrance. Rain or shine.

• Aug. 2 – Maple Ridge Cemetery at 12055 Maple Ridge Rd (Rt 31A) Shelby with Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
• Aug. 9 – Boxwood Cemetery at 3735 N. Gravel Rd, Medina with Todd Bensley, Village of Medina Historian
• Aug. 16 – Beechwood Cemetery at 1523 W. Kendall Rd. at Woodchuck Alley, Kendall with Emily Richardson, Kendall Town Historian; Dave Gaudioso, Kendall town councilman; and Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian.
• Aug. 23 – Otter Creek Cemetery at 13252 Ridge Rd., Gaines with Adrienne Kirby, Town of Gaines Historian
• Aug. 30 – Mt. Albion Cemetery at Route 31, Albion with Bill Lattin and Sue Starkweather Miller, Village of Albion historian

Go to orleanshistory.org or email ochistoryassociation@gmail.com for more information.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A group moves a transformer down Allen Road this morning in Albion. Personnel are escorting the vehicle, holding up wires.

The journey started at about 9 a.m. from near the railroad tracks in Albion and went south on Hamilton Street and then turned east onto Allen Road.

The transformer is headed to a solar project in Byron.

The load heads up Hamilton Street underneath utility wires.

The oversize load weighs 430,000 pounds and is shown on Allen Road. Motorists are expected to experience delays today and are urged to consider alternate routes.

Once on Route 98, the group with the oversize load will pass through Barre and part of Elba.

They will turn on Lockport Road in Elba and continue to North Byron Road, and then go on Searls Road to Tower Hill Road and then Byron Road in Byron. The entire trip is about 17 miles.

The height of this load will necessitate the lifting of most overhead wires and traffic control devices. The load will move into oncoming traffic to avoid overhead obstructions.

Route 98 will be closed for an undisclosed amount of time to all traffic from Old Orchard Road to Lockport Road.

The load heads south on Route 98 after making the turn off of Allen Road.

Another oversize load is expected a week from today.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A 430,000-pound load is shown on May 6 in Albion. The journey was delayed by a week and is set for Wednesday, May 13.

ALBION – A big load will slowly move from Albion through Barre and Elba and then end in Byron on Wednesday.

The 430,000-pound load will begin around 7:30 a.m. in Albion. A transformer is currently next to the railroad tracks on Hamilton Street. The transformer will be moved by a truck and trailer.

The trip was planned for last Wednesday but was cancelled when National Grid wasn;t given enough notice.

The journey on Wednesday will start about 7:30 a.m. and end around 3:30 p.m., according to the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

“Please give yourself a little extra time as cargo will be slow moving and delays are expected,” the EMO posted on Facebook. “National Grid customers along the transport route may experience brief outages.”

Motorists are expected to experience delays on Wednesday and are urged to consider alternate routes.

The width of this load will obstruct oncoming traffic, the State Police advised last week.

The height of this load will necessitate the lifting of most overhead wires and traffic control devices. The load will move into oncoming traffic to avoid overhead obstructions.

Route 98 will be closed for an undisclosed amount of time to all traffic from Old Orchard Road to Lockport Rd.

The permitted route of travel will begin on Hamilton Street in the town of Albion and proceed east on Allen Road then south on Oak Orchard Road (Route 98). Then it goes east on Lockport Road in Elba and continues to North Byron Road, and then goes south on Searls Road to east on Tower Hill Road. The cargo then goes south on Byron Road in Byron.

Site along Erie Canal has options for small businesses on East Bank Street

Photos by Tom Rivers: Local officials joined the owner of the Mayfair Marien for a ribbon-cutting celebration on Friday in Albion. From left include Jami Allport, Albion village trustee; Lynne Johnson, County Legislature chairwoman; Andrew Dugan, district director for State Sen. Rob Ortt; County Legislator Skip Draper; Matt Holland, small business development director for the Orleans Economic Development Agency; Mayfair Marine owner John Fitzak, who is also a county legislator; Dawn Borchert, Orleans County tourism director; Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Kevin Sheehan, Albion village trustee; Jackie Tarricone, executive assistant for Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Michael Dobell, chief executive officer of the Orleans EDA; and Tim McMurray, Albion mayor.

ALBION – There is now a place along the Erie Canal for boaters to get fuel in Orleans County. John Fitzak has opened Mayfair Marine along East Bank Street.

Fitzak for 23 years ran a bottle redemption business at 255 East Bank St. He closed the Albion Redemption Center on March 1 to focus the site on the fuel sales and also as a small business incubator.

He expects to rent out space at the site to several small businesses, and is working with the village to see if people would be allowed to stay overnight in RVs and also in tents.

“I’m just trying to be a catalyst for the village,” Fitzak said on Friday, when he held a ribbon-cutting for the Mayfair.

Fitzak is an Orleans County legislator. He is retired as a state corrections officer. Fitzak worked at Orleans, Attica, Sing Sing, Groveland and Willard correctional facilities.

John Fitzak built five sections of docks totaling 80 feet along the Erie Canal in Albion. The Ingersoll Street lift bridge is behind him. He sees a lot of opportunity in the Erie Canal for the community.

He built the 80 feet of docks at the Mayfair. There are five 16-foot-sections at different heights to accommodate different size boats. The two new 1,000-gallon fuel tanks were certified last November. He will have 100-foot-long hoses from the gas pumps that extend to the boats at the docks.

This will be the only spot offering marine-grade fuel on the Erie Canal between Macedon and Amherst. Fitzak said about 400 to 500 boats pass by the location each canal season. He expects at least 10 percent will stop for fuel at the Mayfair.

He named the business in honor of the Mayfair Restaurant, which was operated by his mother’s father in Rochester in the 1950s and ’60s. That restaurant was at the corner of Lexington and Mount Read Boulevard.

The new canal season opens on May 15. Fitzak is working with small businesses to open soon after the start of the canal season.

He said Big Dog BBQ from Kendall will be selling hot dogs and food from the site. Fitzak also will have vending machines with items at room temperature, in a cooler and a freezer.

Another business with offer marine services. There will be an ATM, a vendor selling Albion merchandise, and other possible merchants.

Several local officials toured the site on Friday. John Fitzak said there is plenty of room to offer other services, including RV parking.

Fitzak said he has reviewed a comprehensive plan for the canal, with leaders from the canal Corp. stating they would like to see fuel sales offered every 20 to 40 miles along the waterway. Fitzak said Mayfair Marine fills a big void for fuel.

He suspects many boaters haven’t ventured to Albion out of fear they could run out of gas. The Mayfair could result in more boaters making the trip to Albion and Orleans County.

He is hopeful they will tie up at his docks and check out the Albion community. He is short walk from the Albion downtown.

“this is another opportunity to see what Albion has to offer,” Fitzak said.

Dawn Borchert, the Orleans County tourism director, praised Fitzak for seeing a need and meeting it along the canal with the fuel sales.

The Mayfair owner has about 600 feet of frontage for the business. He would like to allow RV parking, and a boat launch for kayaks and canoes. He is working with the village officials to determine if those uses are allowed for the property, which is zoned general commercial and is currently mostly undeveloped.