Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A caravan of vehicles heads down Main Street in Albion at about 10 a.m. today. They were about halfway through a  50-mile ride in Orleans County that started in Holley and ended in Lyndonville.

Adam Johnson, owner of the 39 Problems bar and grill in Albion, is in the lead car. He organized the event, which he estimated had about 200 participants for different parts of the journey.

Johnson wanted to highlight the diversity of small businesses in the county, and show how many have struggled due to the economic shutdown from the Covid-19 pandemic.

DC Hauling and Excavating joins the ride through downtown Albion.

Reg Cichocki, owner of Orleans Ready Mix in Medina, brought two vehicles from his concrete business for the ride. His wife Anna is in the truck in the front seat.

Cichocki said he has been able to do concrete jobs for some agricultural projects, but the residential construction has been at a standstill for about two months.

“We need to get the residential construction going,” Cichocki said. “It’s a spinoff for the whole economy.”

He said the small businesses and community have stepped about their precautions to protect from the virus.

“This is something that has never happened in our lifetimes,” he said.

The vehicles head up Main Street in Albion after crossing the Main Street lift bridge over the Erie Canal.

Liz Groat is president of the Downtown Browsery, which includes about 70 vendors at locations in Albion and Medina.

The stores have been closed for the past two months. She said both sites will be ready to open in about two weeks. They are installing plexiglass screens at cash registers, putting in hand sanitizer stations and putting markings on the floor to emphasize social distancing of at least six feet.

Groat said she expects many customers at the Browsery because many flea markets are closed and she doesn’t anticipate as many garage sales this year due to Covid-19.

“People will be looking for a place to shop with non-Walmart things,” she said. “They are also ready for some normalcy to return.”

Vehicles head up a quiet Albion Main Street where dance studios, hair salons and barbershops are waiting to get approval to reopen.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Cars lined up by the Albion fire hall this morning on Platt Street, where the fire department distributed free cloth masks beginning at 10 a.m.

Albion and the 11 other fire departments in the county all distributed cloth masks from 10 a.m. until noon or for how long supplies lasted.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley hands off some of the masks in this photo. Also is the photo from left include Dennis Hunt, Fire Chief Harry Papponetti, Albion Mayor Eileen Banker and Gregg Marston.

There were 7,500 masks available to be distributed this morning. They were made by Hanes. The Orleans County Emergency Management Office secured the masks and delivered them to the 12 fire departments.

Dennis Hunt and Harry Papponetti helped distribute the masks this morning. Cars started to line up at 9 a.m., an hour early. Firefighters gave out two masks per member of a household over 2 years old.

Gregg Marston and Eileen Banker hand off masks this morning.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley also assisted in the effort.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: Gordmans employees and local officials celebrate a grand-opening of the Gordmans store on Feb. 18 at the Route 31 plaza in Albion. The store opened following a change-over from Peebles. That day Gordmans presented a check for $1,000 to Albion High School as a show of goodwill to the community.

ALBION – Less than three months ago a new Gordmans store opened in Albion. The store was one of 13 former Peebles stores to be changed over.

But less than a month after opening, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the store to cut back hours. By the end of March, the store closed, temporarily.

But now the parent company has declared bankruptcy, and the store will permanently close unless a new buyer is found.

Gordmans and Peebles, both discount department stores, are owned by Stage Stores, with Stage buying Gordmans in April 2017. Peebles opened in the Albion plaza in 2007.

“The increasingly challenging market environment was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which required us to temporarily close all of our stores and furlough the vast majority of our associates,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Glazer said in a statement. “Given the conditions, we have been unable to obtain necessary financing and have no choice but to take these actions.”

Houston, Texas-based Stage Stores listed both assets and liabilities between $500 million and $1 billion, according to a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

The company shut all its 738 stores and three distribution centers in March.

The company is seeking bids for the business or any of its assets, Stage Stores said in a statement.

If there isn’t a viable buyer, Stage will have to liquidate and close the stores.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Two little free libraries were added last week at Tinsel, an ice cream shop in Albion, just north of the Erie Canal.

Natasha Wasuck and her husband John Hernandez own Tinsel and they put in the new libraries, as well as a bench. They are also turning the building into the Lockstone, a wedding and events center.

There are now more than 100,000 little free libraries. The community is welcome to leave and take a book at the little free libraries.

The two new little libraries come at a time when the local public library buildings are closed to the public.

For more on the Little Free Library organization, click here.

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ALBION – The Albion Village Board has two new members with Christopher Barry and former Trustee Kevin Sheehan.

They joined the board on Friday following the resignations of Peter Sidari and Mattea Navarra. Those two stayed on the board an extra month after their terms were to expire on March 31. They stayed during a busy month of April while the Village Board finalized the village budget.

Christopher Barry

Sidari and Navarra both didn’t seek re-election. The village election was scheduled for March 18 but then was pushed to April 28 and then again to an undetermined date in June. The governor on May 1 announced the village elections would be moved to Sept. 15. His directives gave current board members the option of staying in their positions until the next election.

Sidari and Navarra opted to resign rather than stay in the positions another 4 ½ months.

Sheehan and Barry both are Republican candidates in the election. Mayor Eileen Banker asked them if they would be willing to start before the Sept. 15 election and both agreed. They were appointed to the board by Banker and trustees Gary Katsanis and Stan Farone.

Kevin Sheehan

Maurice Taylor, a candidate backed by the Democratic Party, also will be on the ballot in September. He was backed by Democrats during a caucus in January.

He said today he will decide closer to the Sept. 15 election whether he will be mounting an active campaign for the position.

Kevin Sheehan, 57, was on the Village Board for eight years and was interested in running for mayor in March 2014. But the Hatch Act derailed those plans and prompted him to step away from the Village Board. (The Hatch Act prevents a federal employee from running in a partisan election.)

Sheehan worked as a union plumber for 27 years before getting a job with the federal VA in Batavia. He was the maintenance mechanic work lead and retired on Sept. 21 after about six years.

The South Clinton Street resident said he enjoys getting involved with the inner-workings of the village government.

Sheehan has a new job as a safety compliance consultant for Safety York Solutions. The job gives him lots of flexibility, he said.

Christopher Barry, 47, works as sergeant at the Orleans Correctional Facility. He started his career as a corrections officer 16 years ago. Barry, a South Main Street resident, said he looks forward to knowing more about how the village government works. He and his wife Lisa have two children, ages 5 and 9.

Taylor, 53, of McKinstry Street retired in 2016 after 27 years as a corrections officer. Taylor and his wife Ethel raised four children in Albion. They have five grandchildren.

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Rodden pushed for historic preservation, removed parking meters in downtown and welcomed international students

This formal portrait by Bruce Landis of Albion’s late mayor Donna Rodden hangs in the village offices. Rodden served as Albion mayor from 1973 to 1984.

ALBION – Several months ago, the Orleans Hub began a series called “Notable Neighbors,” in which people in the community, living or deceased, were profiled. With not much in the news lately but updates on the coronavirus pandemic, I thought perhaps an uplifting story on one of Orleans County’s most accomplished women would be a welcome change.

I feel it is also appropriate to share this story about Donna Rodden, who was mayor of Albion at a time when there were only 13 women holding such a position in the United States, as now, Albion has its second woman serving as mayor, Eileen Banker, and I can’t help but think how proud that would make Donna.

I reached out to Eileen to see if she remembered Donna and realized what big shoes she had to fill.

“I did think of Mayor Rodden, as she had been the only woman mayor of the village,” Eileen said. “I didn’t run on the fact I was a woman. I ran because I felt I could see the positives the village had to offer and I wanted to capitalize on that concept. I believe I was elected, just like Mayor Rodden, not because we are women, but because the voters felt we could do the job.”

I have to credit the pandemic and our mandated stay-at-home orders for my finding this story I had written about Donna, probably 40 or more years ago. Boredom finally caused me to start cleaning out some corners and sorting through boxes and boxes of papers, when in a sewing kit which belonged to my cousin’s late wife, I found six pages I had typed on my Smith-Corona (no relation to the virus) electric typewriter. (Does anybody remember those? I reached out to Donna’s daughters to verify my facts and learned some more interesting things.)

First I learned Donna’s first love was a college sweetheart, who was killed in a horrific accident. They were returning home one night during a torrential rainstorm, each driving their own cars. Donna was following him when he drove onto railroad tracks and his car quit. He was hit by a train, and when she ran to the car, she saw his body smashed into pieces.

I also learned from Donna’s oldest daughter, Roberta Tundermann of Connecticut, that because of the accident Donna refused to drive a car and never did until after her mother died, and she could no longer rely on her mother to chauffeur her around.

Donna’s second love, which Roberta called “the love of her life,” was killed in Germany and she never dated again until years later.

I first met Donna when I was asked to write a story about Albion’s Courthouse Square being named to the National Register of Historic Places. (Courthouse Square is a large block of 38 buildings in the center of town). She was library media specialist at Albion High School at the time, in addition to being mayor of Albion. I do believe the request came from Walter Schutt, who was then police chief in Albion and a supporter of Donna’s, or from her best friend Marie Makowski.

Schutt once commented, “Few people realize what they have here in Albion. Donna has as interesting a past as any public figure, and has done more for the village of Albion than most people can remember.”

Donna served as mayor from 1973 to 1984.

I will never forget the first time I met Donna when I went to the school to interview her. She had long black hair, which hung from a center part. Her clothes were anything but stylish, as she was dressed in a floor-length black skirt, and in spite of it being in the winter, she had on flat slippers with no socks or stockings.

But that was Donna, and being in her presence, you realized you were facing a genius – and a genius doesn’t worry about her appearance. I would learn over the period of several years of knowing her that she was not only a television personality, but a teacher, producer and writer, as well as a mayor. At Syracuse University, she studied speech and communication, got her doctorate in library science and a degree in radio and journalism. She was in the process of studying for the ministry when she died of cancer in June 1985 at the age of 59. Her daughter Chris Capurso of Albion said Donna was so busy doing for others she didn’t take care of herself.

Donna was born in Albion, a daughter of Burroughs and Mildred MacDufy Strickland. She was first in her class all through school and graduated a year early. Burroughs was a judge who had attended Syracuse University, as did Mildred, and wanted Donna to follow in his footsteps, but although she took some law courses, she had other aspirations.

Roberta also attended Syracuse, as well as her son Matt, who is an aeronautical engineer.

Making a mark in the big city

Donna’s career began when she moved to New York City and landed a job packaging radio and television programs. Packaging is the term applied to shooting scenes and collecting shots from movies, and putting them together to form one special show, Roberta explained. The show would then be sold to an advertiser who, in turn, would sell it to a station or network.

Donna had the distinction of being the first woman to produce a television show in New York City, but because she met opposition in getting a job as a woman, much of her work was accomplished under the pen name of Robert Quigley, her first husband and father of Roberta.

Donna had landed a job with Caton Incorporation, and Mr. Caton was a boxing fan. Boxers are said to be superstitious and afraid of elevators. As Donna’s office was on an upper floor of the Empire State Building, the boxers would climb the stairs, rather than take the elevator. One of her most famous shows was Greatest Fights of the Century, which also became the first sports television show to be exported outside the United States. Her other credits include The Big Fight, and World’s Greatest Fighters, as well as animal shows which she put together using much material collected by Walt Disney. All this was before the time of coast-to-coast hookups, when most shows and commercials were live.

“Actors and actresses had to be more accurate then,” Donna told me. “And when radio stars made the transition to television, many had a hard time getting used to having to wear makeup and dress to be seen.”

She recalled one famous radio newscaster who refused to wear makeup or dress for the camera, and he soon faded out of television when he couldn’t accept the challenge.

Early in her years in New York City, Donna worked for a school in New Jersey which helped children with handicaps. There she met Charles Lindbergh, whose son attended there for speech therapy.

Her brother Terry Strickland at the time was stationed at Fort Dix, and was scheduled to go to Korea with the Green Mountain Boys. By the grace of God, Roberta said, Terry developed pneumonia and couldn’t go, so he was later sent to Germany instead. All the men in the Green Mountain Boys were later wiped out.

Donna was interested in all forms of art. She painted, and was an accomplished piano player. At about the same time as her producing career began, she also became interested in directing plays and acting. She appeared on Broadway in All This and Heaven Too, Harvey, Thornton Wilder’s Skin of our Teeth and with Priscilla Gillette in Brigadoon. She directed at the Davenport Theater, and when color television hit the market, two of the first seven shows came from Donna’s office.

I was also made privy to information by Donna (reluctantly) about the time she corroborated with mob bosses to prove the innocence of a man on Death Row and get him released from prison. Roberta said she remembers a time when mafia men came to their door. She said after her mother talked to them, they went away peacefully.

I have to interject at this point how honored I was to have called Donna Rodden a friend. She would occasionally drive out to my house in Millville and bring me a small gift, such as Christmas placemats she had crocheted. And I would be on cloud nine to think that a woman of such acclaim would give me the time of day.

Robert Quigley was the owner of the Lyndonville Enterprise and the Middleport Herald-Tribune, which Donna edited for two years before going back to New York City to resume her work in television. After she and Quigley divorced, Donna married James Rodden, who was a cab driver in New York City and used to pick her up every day. She and James’ daughter is Chris Capurso of Albion.

Donna wrote many songs, a hobby which she pursued, even after returning to Albion. Two of her songs, You are my Angel and St. Mary’s of the Snow, were recorded by Eddie Haywood. A story she wrote on the Erie Canal titled Erie Mouse earned her acclaim and Roberta is hoping to turn it into a book.

This picture of Donna Rodden and her youngest daughter Chris Capurso and family was shared by Capurso’s sister Roberta Tundermann of Connecticut. Rodden is at left rear with Chris’ husband Al Capurso. In front, Al’s parents flank Chris, who is holding infant son  Daniel, Donna’s first grandson.

GED teacher, gift shop owner and then a mayor who got things done

After coming back to Albion to live, Donna worked as a teacher at the  correctional facility for women and tutored adults for their GED or high school diploma. She also operated a gift shop, The Hole in the Wall, which she sold when she accepted the position at Albion High School. Her introduction to public office came as the result of the death of long-time Albion mayor Bill Monacelli.

“I believe you have to make every office count,” Donna had said at the time. “You have to give the people a choice in order for the democratic system to work. When I understood that no one was going to run for mayor except the  man who had been filling the post after Monacelli’s death, I decided to run.”

Donna said, despite the fact women had been given the right to vote 50 years earlier, no woman had ever run for high office in Orleans County. And in spite of the fact she had run for trustee a year earlier and lost by the narrow margin of 23 votes, she ran for mayor to finish Monacelli’s term and won. She was sworn into office on the same Bible her father used.

She said her second term in office came about quite by accident.

“I ran for my first full term to complete the things I started in my first year,” Donna said.

Her opponent this time was a very popular man in Albion and although Donna had won her first election by a large margin, she didn’t expect to win the second time. As a matter of fact, she had ignored the polls showing her popularity and chose to speak at a meeting at the Apple Grove Inn the night of the election. She was at the podium when her daughter Chris burst in and told her the news.

In 1978, her own party refused to endorse her, and both parties nominated the same man.

“As before, the people had no choice, so I ran on the Independent ticket, and won again,” Donna said.

No one could doubt that Donna’s interests were always for the best for Albion. While she admitted that a woman’s emphasis is often on different things than a man’s, she felt that many women would make good mayors or public officials.

In an interesting comparison, Donna paralleled the job of mayor to that of a good housewife.

“A good housewife keeps her house clean and does many things to ease all the members of her family and prepare them for their future,” she said. “So does a mayor try to run all her departments smoothly and cleanly and does many little things to please all her constituents and do what’s best for the future of the townspeople. Likewise, a housewife must balance the budget. You can’t run a home on money that isn’t there, and I feel strongly that deficit spending in government has got to go.”

This is an interesting statement in light of the recent government passing of a trillion-dollar stimulus bill. I can’t but wonder what Donna would have thought about that!

During Donna’s terms in office, she accomplished many of the things she set out to do. Of course, getting Courthouse Square placed on the National Register was a big credit to her. When Mount Albion Cemetery was placed on the National Register, it was only the second cemetery in the nation to be so honored, according to Bill Lattin, who was county historian at the time.

In addition, Donna had a cover placed on the village’s water tower, which had been open since 1932, a situation she felt was a health hazard due. She was responsible for bringing about the construction of a new industrial sewage plant. She got rid of parking meters, which she felt were a penalty to downtown merchants, when shoppers at the plaza could park free of charge. She changed the Albion Police Department to a Public Safety Office and was hopeful in the future that more departments would place more emphasis on public safety and less on police work.

Her motto and aim in life was to “Preserve and protect the past, take care of the people today and prepare for the future.”

‘Donna was all about Albion’

Donna took more than an average interest in the history of Albion and Orleans County. The “Save the Tower” project in Mount Albion Cemetery was completed under her watch, and during her leadership, a sesqui-centennial clock was erected downtown on Main Street for the community’s 150^thanniversary. She was founder of the Orleans County Council on the Arts and was responsible for the first donations to the county’s only art gallery.

She also was responsible for a new parking lot being constructed, new sidewalks being put in and trees planted downtown. She brought two new industries to town and worked to establish a youth center in the village. She spearheaded restoration of the lily pond at Mount Albion Cemetery, and after her death, the chapel in Mount Albion was dedicated to her. Bill Lattin attended the dedication, where in the chapel is a quote by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr which Donna lived by.

“Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime. Therefore, we are saved by hope.”

Donna instituted a new tax schedule in Albion for new businesses, whereby they didn’t pay any taxes for the first five years, then only paid 10 percent until the end of 10 years.

In discussing some of the problems facing the village, Donna said that Albion was under a handicap for funds to do many of the things she would like to do – primarily replacing the ancient storm sewers in the village after three floods hit the town during her administrations.

“Where 80 percent of the property in most villages is taxable, Albion only has 46 percent of its property on the tax rolls,” Donna said. “The reason for this is because of the large number of historical buildings, churches and school-owned property – all of which are tax-exempt.”

Donna was known beyond Albion for her accomplishments. She made many friends among dignitaries in foreign lands through a program she learned about called “Experiment in International Living,” where foreign students, young adults or public figures visited America and lived in private homes while working, going to school or learning the English language.

This brings to mind a young man I met at her house during her terms as mayor. Donna had mentioned she knew the Shah of Iran and introduced me to a young man from Iran who was living with her at the time. I was given a copy of an Iranian newspaper and speculated at the time that the young man was the son of the Shah, although no one would confirm it. A comment was made he was living with Donna because there was turmoil in his country and he had to go to a safe place.

Roberta shared a story about the time a young man from Egypt was living in the village when an American student was being detained in Egypt. The State Department in Washington contacted Donna and asked if she could intervene to try and get the American home. She did and his family later came from Michigan to thank her.

Under the Experiment in International Living, Donna was responsible for 168 people visiting Albion, representing many religious faiths, 40 countries and every continent.

Many honors came Donna’s way, including an award from Queen Elizabeth and one which previously had only been given to Mother Theresa and Jacquelyn Kennedy. She was named national chairman of “Magazines for Friendship,” a program where Americans, after reading their favorite magazines, re-addressed them and sent them to an English speaking person in a foreign country. At the time I interviewed Donna, more than three million magazines weekly were being sent abroad.

Donna was a firm believer that Americans, as individuals, not the government, were responsible for formulating programs which would determine how other countries felt about us.

Photo by Tom Rivers: In the mid-1970s, Rodden was involved in the “Save The Tower” campaign to make repairs to the Civil War memorial at Mount Albion Cemetery. This photo shows one of the buttons that was used as a fund-raiser.

In addition to being honored by meeting such presidents as Nixon, Eisenhower, Johnson, Ford and Kennedy, Donna also had dinner at the White House several times and rubbed elbows with many notable people. She once co-chaired a women’s symposium with Midge Constanza of Brockport before Midge went to work in Washington. Some of the people Donna met who impressed her the most were Senator Taft, Senator Bingham from New York, Martha Griffiths from Michigan, secretary of state Henry Kissinger and a person she called “a very good friend,” Nelson Rockefeller.

Donna was honored locally, nationally and internationally. She was recipient of a medal from Cambridge University in England; she was named to the International Who’s Who in Community Service for distinguished service to community; she was cited by presidents Nixon, Reagan and Kennedy for “Service as befitting a good American”; and in 1975, she received the National Organization of Women’s Award for “the woman who most changed the world.” She was also the recipient of the American Legion’s Good Citizen Award, the Coast Guard Medal, a commendation from the Girl Scouts of America, a listing in Who’s Who in Finance and Industry, and in 1978, she received the Distinguished Achievement Plaque from the World’s Who’s Who of Women.

Governor Carey, in his first year in office, appointed Donna to his Friendship Committee, whose purpose was to “make New York a more attractive place for visitors.”

Donna was a very modest person, and I only learned of her achievements from other people. Then when I confronted her with the information, she would confirm it.

At one time, while in New York City, she dined with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who were visiting there shortly after he abdicated from the throne. They met through a poet Donna knew who was also a friend of Edward.

In addition to Donna’s duties as mayor and school librarian, she was adviser to the Senior Class, director of the Swan Library, director of the Cobblestone Society, director of the Orleans County Historical Monument Association and an executive of the Northwest Frontier Village Officers. She was past president and member of the Business and Professional Women, a matron of the Eastern Star and Rebecca lodges and past president of the Orleans County Art Association.

At the time I knew her, Donna still did some occasional directing, not only at Albion High School, but at places such as Newport, R.I., Pokeno Playhouse in Pennsylvania, Rye Beach in New York and, of course, for Orleans County’s own Theater of Performing Arts.

In spite of all her honors, Donna’s biggest concern was not for her own individual achievements, but for world understanding, which she believed was the basis for world peace.

“Not agreements, or sanctions or appeasement, but by understanding why people do the things they do – then we are on the road to world peace,” she said.

Lattin gave the eulogy at Donna’s funeral, referring to a play she did at Albion Middle School, titled “To Albion with Love.”

“That was the whole essence of what Donna was,” he said. “Donna was all about Albion.”

The world could definitely use more people like Donna Rodden.

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ALBION – Foodlink will be back soon in Orleans County for two emergency food distributions.

There will be a Foodlink food distribution in Medina on Monday, May 11, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Calvary Cupboard-Calvary Tabernacle Church, 324 Catherine St. People should use the parking lot entrance on Ann Street.

Foodlink and Calvary recently had a food distribution on April 27 in Medina.

Foodlink will return to Albion on May 14 for a distribution in partnership with Community Action of Orleans & Genesee and Orleans County Office for the Aging.

Foodlink has done food distributions in Albion since the Covid-19 pandemic. Those distributions were on Fridays – April 17 and May 1.

The May 14 distribution will be on a Thursday. It will be at the same time, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., as the first two events and at the same location, the Main Street Store at 131 S. Main St. (across from the Hoag Library).

Foodlink has delivered 300 boxes of food during the distributions. This is a drive-through only event with no walk-ins. People must stay in their vehicles, have their ID visible and must not roll down their windows.

The trunk should be cleaned out so the box of emergency food can be put into it. People should have their trunk open and ready. Once the trunk is closed and tapped, people may drive away.

There will be no pre-registration for the event, it is a first-come, first-served.

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Organizers cancel due to Covid-19, look forward to big bash in 2021

Photos by Tom Rivers: The band 7th Heaven capped a day of music at Bullard Park on Aug. 3, 2019 during the Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park. The sixth annual event attracted about 1,000 people to the park. Michael Giarrizzo, left, plays guitar and sings for the band, while Terry K. is the lead singer and Dave Quick is the bass player from Kendall.

ALBION – Another big community celebration has been cancelled. Organizers of the Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park announced the seventh annual music event played for Aug. 3 won’t happen this year.

Concerns for public health due to the Covid-19 pandemic prompted organizers to cancel the festival.

Zack Burgess, one of the organizers, posted on Facebook that it was a difficult decision. The Planning Committee had was anticipated the best music festival yet, with a new performance stage at the park and the a well-known regional band, Nerds Gone Wild. That band plays many popular party songs from the 80’s.

“The health and safety of our attendees is our number one priority, and we cannot consciously put you all at risk,” Burgess said. “Thank you for your support through our first six years, and the would-be support for the seventh. We would not be able to do this if it were not for all of you. We hope you understand that this was not an easy decision to make.”

The sixth annual event attracted about 1,000 people to the performance tent last Aug. 3, where five bands performed from 3 to 11 p.m. The event also includes craft and food vendors.

The committee presented a check for $5,000 to the village last year to go towards the new amphitheater with $2,000 for electric work, and $3,000 for side slats that can be rolled up.

Burgess said the committee appreciates the support from the village in putting on the festival.

“We look forward to continuing to work with you next year,” Burgess said. “Stay safe, all. We hope to see you in 2021.”

7th Heaven plays to a big crowd under a tent at Bullard Park last summer. The band delighted the crowd with music by AC/DC, Billy Idol, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Don Henley and others. Five bands played under the big beer tent from 3 to 11 p.m., including Shotgun Pauly, The Trellis Cooper Band, Zero, The Who Dats and then 7th Heaven.

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LynOaken Farms donates 300 five-pound bags of apples

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Community Action of Orleans & Genesee distributed 210 boxes of food this morning in Albion. Foodlink provided the food in the boxes and LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville donated 300 five-pound bags of apples.

Jeff Atwell, a Community Action employee at right, helps get a box ready this morning. The distribution site was in front of the Main Street Store.

The crew from Community Action is ready to put boxes in trunks of vehicles. This photo was taken about 11 a.m. The food distribution started at 9:30 a.m. It was rainy and that may have kept some people away.

When Community Action did the Foodlink distribution two weeks ago, the 300 boxes were gone by 10:45. The distribution starts at 9:30 although many people are lined up well before that.

These boxes left over are going to the food pantry at Community Action and also Christ Church in Albion.

The Community Action workers include, from left: David Laraby, Mike Jessmer, Ricky Standish and Jeff Atwell.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The staff at The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Facility in Albion were presented with pizzas, flowers and coffee mugs with a photo of the nursing home in Albion.

The Albion Lions Club organized the effort, with Oak Orchard Bowl preparing the eight pizzas.

Alanna Gordan, an aide at The Villages, accepts some of the pizzas on Thursday evening from Randy Hanks, owner of Oak Orchard Bowl. Amy Jaczynski, a housekeeper, is in back. Mark Johnson of the Lions Club, back right, holds a box of the coffee mugs.

Mark Johnson holds one of the mugs which were made and donated by Jeff and Delores Mosher, owners of Dee’z Cups in Kent.

Amy Jaczynski and Alanna Gordon accept the pizzas and gifts last evening at The Villages. The flowers were donated by Bloom’s Flower Shop in Albion.

Johnson and Hanks said the groups all wanted to show support for the dedicated employees at The Villages, who are caring for residents in the 120-bed facility during a big outbreak of Covid-19. Nearly 50 residents at the site have tested positive for Covid-19, with 11 of the residents dying after contracting the virus.

“We know they are going through a lot here and we want to let them know we care about them,” Hanks said.

Jaczynski said the gesture was appreciated by the entire staff.

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Village Board passes budget with no change in tax rate

Photo by Tom Rivers: The village parks are all closed right now, including Veteran’s Park at the corner of Brown Street and Linwood Avenue. That park last summer hosted the parks program while Bullard Park was under construction.

Preston Flugel, one of the summer park supervisors for the Village of Albion, pushes a kid in a swing last June 26, which was opening day for the summer parks program.

ALBION – The Village of Albion won’t be running a summer parks program due to the health concerns with groups of people congregating.

The program normally runs for five weeks from late June to late July or early August.

The village hires about a dozen park supervisors who lead games, crafts and other activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays.

The program is normally based at Bullard Park and the smaller park for kids, Pee Wee Park, which is also at Bullard. Last year the program was at Veteran’s Park at the corner of Linwood Avenue and Brown Street. Bullard Park was under construction last summer.

All of the village parks are currently closed. Village officials are hopeful the parks can be reopened at some point this summer. There won’t be any paid staff on site if the state gives the approval to reopen the parks.

Canceling the parks program will save the village about $20,000, although the cost wasn’t a factor in the decision.

Village budget keeps tax rate at $17.80 per $1,000

The Albion Village Board has approved a $6,972,285 budget that keeps the tax rate at $17.80 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The budget stays under the tax cap. The 2020-21 spending plan increases the tax levy The budget would increase the tax levy, what the village collects in taxes by $17,252, or by less than 1 percent (0.6 percent). The tax levy will go from $2,730,417 in 2019-2020 to $2,747,669 in 2020-21.

The budget takes effect beginning June 1 with a fiscal year that ends May 31.

The budget reflects a larger tax base in the village. Albion’s total assessed value increased by $969,218, from $153,394,234 to $154,363,452.

The budget includes $3,990,893 in the general fund, $1,678,241 in the water fund, and $1,303,151 in the sewer fund.

Albion Mayor Eileen Banker said she is concerned about the revenues for the village this coming fiscal year. The village was told by the county in December it would receive $165,688 in local sales tax in 2020. But the sales tax revenues are expected to be down, which could have an impact on what Albion receives. State funding for road paving and maintenance (CHIPS) also could take a hit.

The Village Board said it will keep a closer eye on the budget to see if adjustments are needed during the coming fiscal year.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: Wally Skrypnik (left) of the American Legion and Mark Roberts of the VFW Post carry flags in the honor guard to start the Memorial Day parade in Albion last year on May 27.

ALBION – The Memorial Day parade and the ceremony that follows at the Albion Middle School have been cancelled due to concerns about bringing groups of people together during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s something that happens to be done for the betterment of the community,” said Gary Befus, who coordinates the Memorial Day observance along with Phil Warne of the Legion.

The Legion will still be putting about 2,000 flags on the graves of veterans at Mount Albion Cemetery, St’ Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery and other cemeteries in town.

Normally, local scouts help with that effort but Befus said the Legion members will take care of it this year. He said the scouts often move in a pack of kids when they place the flags and he wanted to avoid that during the pandemic.

The Honor Guard will recognize veterans on Memorial Day with gun salutes at the local cemeteries. Befus said the Honor Guard will meet at the Legion post the morning of May 25 and will be given sanitizer. Each member will be wearing gloves and driving in separate vehicles. Normally the Honor Guard stands close next to each other but they will be spread out more on Memorial Day, Befus said.

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Photo courtesy of Albion Central School: Sue Webster and Cassie Dash, both staff members at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, are joined by the Purple Eagle mascot with a poster sending students “6 feet of love.”

ALBION – A new video put together by Rachel Curtin, principal of the elementary school, includes photos of many elementary school staff and teachers, holding signs to let students know they are missed.

Click here to see the video which is titled, “We love our Purple Eagles.”

Curtin created the nearly 6-minute long video with background music of students performing at a recent school concert.

“Keep working hard and stay positive,” Curtin urges the students. “With respect, responsibility and optimism, Mrs. Curtin.”

Respect, responsibility and optimism are the three guiding principles of the school district.

Today is the start of the seventh week students have been home from school.

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