Ed and Loretta Pahura were married 72 years, and then died 2 days apart just before Valentine’s Day

Photo courtesy of Nicole Pahura Rappleyea: Edward and Loretta Pahura dance the polka on Aug. 29, 2015. They were at the reception for their granddaughter’s wedding at Ravenwood Golf Course in Victor.

ALBION – An Albion couple who inspired many with their devotion to each other died two days apart after 72 years of marriage.

On Thursday, a day after Valentine’s Day, Edward and Loretta Pahura were laid to rest after a double-casket funeral at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

“We have been privileged to witness a love story, one of great magnitude,” Father Richard Csizmar, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Albion, said at the funeral on Thursday.

The couple spent the first 70 years of their marriage in a blue house at 130 Liberty St. About 18 months ago they moved to The Villages of Orleans, a nursing home in Albion. They stayed together in Room 33.

They were friendly to the other residents, staff and visitors.

“They were like the official greeters,” said long-time friend Mary Ann Tillman.

The Pahuras raised three children in Albion after Mr. Pahura returned from World War II. He was a corporal and marksman with the U.S. Army and was part of the Normandy invasion on D-Day. He was haunted by the invasion, seeing so many friends drown and be shot, said his son, Steve Pahura.

His father wanted to help his fellow soldiers who didn’t know how to swim. But the soldiers were ordered to keep moving – or they would not survive.

“They were the first ones in,” Steve Pahura said about his father and his unit. “It was so hard for him to talk about. He lost a lot of his buddies.”

About a year after D-Day on June 6, 1944, Mr. Pahura married the former Loretta Long.

They met on a blind date at the Albion Hotel and had dinner and then went dancing.

They were both 22 at their wedding on July 15, 1945. They lived the “American Dream,” their son said. They were able to stay in a small town and raise their family, which includes sons Steven and Gary, and daughter Kathleen.

Mr. Pahura worked as a shop mechanic specialist at Lipton until it closed in 1980. He finished his career at Eastman Kodak. His wife worked 24 years at General Electric in Brockport, helping to produce the first electric can openers.

Photo courtesy of Pahura family: Ed and Loretta Pahura were both 22 at their wedding on July 15, 1945.

The couple was active in the local Catholic church. They enjoyed “little things,” their son. They liked to feed the birds, go fishing, spend time with their family and cheer on the New York Yankees. (At the luncheon after the funeral on Thursday, friends and family were given bags of birds seed in honor of Ed and Loretta.)

Steve Pahura said the family took vacations to Old Forge when he was a kid in the 1950s and ’60s. They went fishing and boating. A big highlight was going to the garbage dump to see bears. “That was a big thing,” Steve said.

He admired his parents for their life-long devotion.

“They had a good time together,” he said.

His father had been sicker than his mother in the past few years. But Steve believes his father held on for his wife. She recently had been battling cancer.

They both got the flu about two weeks ago. Mr. Pahura died on Feb. 7 and his wife joined him on Feb. 9. The family believes Ed wanted to go just before his wife, so she wouldn’t be scared of dying and to be there to welcome her to Heaven.

“He was comforting her and leading the way,” said the couple’s niece, Eileen Banker. “He was getting things ready for her.”

She said her aunt and uncle were very family-oriented. Her aunt “was always smiling” while her uncle was “very sweet.”

She recalled a family wedding on Aug. 29, 2015, when the Pahuras did the polka to the delight of the crowd. Ed and Loretta were at the reception for their granddaughter’s wedding at Ravenwood Golf Course in Victor. Steve Pahura asked the DJ to play a polka song. When the music came on, Mr. Pahura set down his cane and grabbed his wife’s hand, insisting on a dance.

Father Csizmar, pastor of the church, said the love story will continue in Heaven.

“We’re celebrating the wonderful Valentine’s life they lived for 72 years,” he said.

Return to top

Courtesy of Stacey Kirby

ALBION – A 24-foot-long mural of Santa in a sleigh looking over downtown Albion and Courthouse Square will be painted by Albion native Stacey Kirby.

The Albion Rotary Club is leading the project, with assistance from a grant from Rotary District 7090 as well as community donations.

The Albion Historic Preservation Commission approved a “certificate of appropriateness” for the project today. The Village Board also voted to support the project on Wednesday.

The mural honors Albion’s history as home to the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School from 1937 to 1966. Howard also ran Christmas Park in Albion. Mr. Howard passed away in 1966. The Santa School continues in his name in Midland, Michigan.

Photo by Tom Rivers

The mural will be mounted on poles and a metal frame in Waterman Park on North Main Street, about a half block south of the Erie Canal. The large painting will mounted about a foot away from this wall on the north side of the park.

The mural is expected to be installed by May 1.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion firefighters battle a garage fire on Jan. 2, 2016 on South Clinton St.

ALBION – The Village Board wants to look into moving the fire department out of the village budget and into its own fire district that would also serve the towns of Albion and Gaines.

Many villages have recently moved to separating the fire department from a village service to being its own taxing jurisdiction with a board of commissioners.

Holley and Elba recently created fire districts and Oakfield is in the process of doing it, said Barry Flansburg, a fire commissioner for the Barre Fire District. He also works as an assessor for Barre, Byron, Elba and Oakfield.

Right now the fire department is part of the Albion village budget. The village also has contracts with the towns of Albion and Gaines to provide fire protection.

If there was a fire district, there would be a separate tax from the fire district that would be part of the tax bill that comes out in January.

It would also mean the village tax rate would likely go down because the fire department wouldn’t be included in the village budget. (However, there would be a new tax for village residents with a fire district.) Right now the fire department insurance is included in the village insurance. And village mechanics from the Department of Public Works spend time on fire trucks.

Barry Flansburg, a commissioner with the Barre Fire District, talks with the Albion Village Board about forming a fire district that would provide fire protection services in the village of Albion and towns of Albion and Gaines.

With a fire district, the village staff, in-kind services and other expenses would be clearly identified and the village would likely be reimbursed for those costs, which might include rent for the fire hall.

That is among the benefits of a fire district: knowing the clear costs of the fire department, Flansburg said. Right now some of the costs are absorbed in the village budget, such as the mechanic, fire hall, insurance and other costs.

“You could set this up with a focus on improving service,” Flansburg said. “Right now you can’t put your finger on how much it costs.”

Flansburg sees an asset in a board of commissioners that provide the oversight. That board would be focused on running the fire department as a business, he said.

The Village Board currently oversees the fire department, while also overseeing other aspects of the village government, including police, water, sewer, the cemetery, the village office and other services.

“From a village standpoint, it would be one less thing that you have to worry about,” Flansburg said.

The Village Board passed a resolution on Wednesday to pursue looking into a fire district. Village officials said they would reach out to town officials in Albion and Gaines. If a fire district is established, the three municipal boards – Albion Village Board, Albion Town Board and Gaines Town Board – all need to support it.

There will be several public informational meetings and public hearings if the issue moves forward. Flansburg also urged the village to have an attorney who specializes in creating fire districts lead a public informational meeting for the community, explaining the legal process in creating a fire district.

Harry Papponetti, the Albion fire chief, said the fire department supports pursuing a fire district. But he didn’t want the Village Board to feel slighted.

“We’re not saying we don’t like the Village Board,” he said. “You’ve been overwhelmingly to the fire department. We just want to make it easier for you.”

The fire commissioners are elected positions, and many commissioners in other fire districts are not firefighters. They are often business leaders looking to run the department as efficiently as possible, Flansburg said.

Village Trustee Pete Sidari works for the North Greece Fire District. He said many fire departments in Monroe County are going to fire districts.

“It’s the same firemen, the same trucks,” he said. “You’re just shifting the liability to the fire district.”

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Gary Kent, one of the directors of the Albion Betterment Committee, pumps gas this morning for Ronnie Scott of Albion.

Kent and a group of other volunteers pump gas for senior citizens and others who want the service every Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Crosby’s in Albion.

Kent and the Betterment Committee volunteers offer a friendly face to the senior citizens. It’s also a chance to connect with seniors to see how they’re doing, Kent said.

Sometimes the volunteers will also check car fluids and walk the money inside the store so seniors don’t have to get out in the cold.

Kent has been pumping gas since the first week it started in 2004. Clarence Winkelmann has been doing it 13 years and Gary Westlund has been dedicated to the task for 12 years.

If someone can’t make it, Kent has backups, who today included Tim Tierney of Medina and Mike Wright of Albion. Wayne Wadhams and Phil Brady also help out some weeks.

Tim Tierney pumps gas for a senior citizen today at Crosby’s in Albion. Tierney said the seniors appreciate the effort from the volunteers. There aren’t very many gas stations around that provide the service.

“It’s fun,” he said. “I don’t mind doing it.”

Return to top

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Bill Downey (left), chairman of the Orleans County Fishing Derby, presents a check for $1,900 to Mike Bonnewell, president of the Albion Rotary Club.

Downey presented the money last week. He is a member of the Albion Rotary Club, which has been organizing the fishing derby for more than 30 years. The event runs for about two weeks in August and gives out more than $8,000 in prizes. The high lake waters last summer kept some fishermen away, but the event still generated a profit for Rotary, which uses the funds to support community projects.

This year’s derby is scheduled for Aug. 4-19. Click here for more information.

Return to top

Provided photo

ALBION – Patty Putnam Mitchell, an active member of the Albion NY Rocks group, joined other members of the group on Friday in delivering hand-painted rocks with Valentine’s messages to residents of The Villages of Orleans, a nursing home in Albion.

Mitchell is shown with a stroller full of Valentine’s rocks. The group previously delivered hundreds of rocks in December with Christmas designs and messages.

“Local rock painters had a blast working on these rocks, that not only carry messages of love but were painted with love,” said Lori Laine, leader of the group. “Many of the residents still had their Christmas Rocks on display in their rooms and they were more than pleased to receive the Valentine rocks to add to their collection.”

Laine said the residents were thrilled to receive painted rocks.

“A few of the residents asked how much they cost,” Laine said. “Our response was, ‘We charge a smile for them.’ I can honestly say we were overpaid as we got so many smiles. That’s what this rock project is about: community, friendship and encouragement.”

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Aria Santiago, 4, heads down the hill at Bullard Park when many kids were at the park enjoying a sledding and snowboarding competition.

The park is hosting games and competitions from 3 to 7 p.m., with a bonfire of Christmas trees at 6.

Patrick Fox of Albion, lower left, and Mason Rhoda of Albion head back up the hill for another trip.

It was ideal sledding conditions with lots of snow and temperatures in the high 20s without much wind.

Charles Santiago, 8, of Albion enjoys a fast trip down the sledding hill.

Kim Remley, one of the organizers of the event with Energize Albion, calls out for snowboarders to see how far they could go down the hill.

Lisa and Skip Stratton made this igloo out of milk jugs. There also is a food truck at the event.

Mason Rhoda and Aria Santiago help each other walk up the hill for another turn of sledding.

Return to top

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Christmas trees are piled up at Bullard Park on Friday. Today they will be set on fire in a bonfire at the park.

Bullard is hosting sledding, snowboarding and snowman building competitions at the park today from 3 to 7 p.m. Winners for all contests will be announced immediately prior to the lighting the bonfire. All contests and games are free.

At 3:30, the contests start with sledding until 4 p.m. Judges will be measuring distance for sledders from the top of the hill. That is the same for the snowboarding contest from 4 to 4:30 p.m.

There will be a snowman building competition from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Albion has hosted winter games at Bullard twice before, but this is the first time there is lots of snow on the ground.

“We’ve never had the proper weather to do this,” said Kim Remley, one of the organizers. “Last year there was no snow.”

There will also be kiddie games at Pee Wee Park, the little kids’ section of Bullard, from 3 to 5 p.m.

At 6 p.m., the trees will be set ablaze for the bonfire.

There is also free hot chocolate and S’mores while supplies last. Other food items will be available for purchase.

The Village of Albion, the Albion Fire Department, Energize Albion, the Albion Merchant’s Association and United Structural, LLC have organized the event at Bullard.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The 20^th annual Father-Daughter Dance drew 250 people to the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School cafeteria on Friday evening. Jeremiah Knight of Albion was a first-time attendee. He is dancing with his daughter McKinley, wearing the red and black dress.

Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion organizes the annual dance held on the Friday near Valentine’s Day.

The 250 attendees just missed setting a record for the biggest crowd ever for the dance. Last year there were 260. The event has grown in popularity over the years. Prior to last year, it had only topped 200 people once. Some of the fathers and daughters have been attending the event each year for more than a decade.

Many of the girls who attended the event were happy to dance with their friends, as well as their fathers.

Return to top

Albion also will start using “less-lethal” bean bag projectiles

Press Release, Roland Nenni, chief of Albion and Holley police departments

All Albion and Holley police officers have been trained in the use of the newest form of Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan. Every officer has completed the required training and will be carrying the lifesaving drug.

Naloxone is a drug that temporarily blocks the opiate from acting on the body and allows enough time for more advanced medical treatment. Naloxone is safe and will not cause harm if it is administered to someone suffering from an overdose of a non-opiate or other medical condition. Naloxone is administered via a Nasal Atomizer and does not require a needle.

“With the rise in the use of heroin and other opiates there have been many overdoses that have caused death and other serious long term medical issues,” Police Chief Roland Nenni said.

Police officers from Albion and Holley often are the first on scene at medical emergencies. If a person has overdosed on an opiate and is in serious condition, officers will be able to administer Naloxone in an attempt to save the person’s life. The administration of Naloxone has saved many lives across the country.

“These saved lives have not been isolated to drug users but have also involved children that have accidently ingested an opiate,” Nenni said.

This is only one of the many initiatives that the Albion and Holley police departments are conducting to fight this horrible epidemic that are impacting lives of not only the persons using illegal opiates but the families and associates of users.

The Albion Police Department has recently placed into service a “Less Lethal Program” that will allow officers additional options other than lethal force in certain situations.

Less-lethal guns that fire a Drag Stabilized Bean Bag Projectile have been placed in each Albion patrol vehicle. While less-lethal is not always an option in volatile fast-moving situations, it gives officers additional tools to use when appropriate, that will hopefully reduce death and injuries, Nenni said.

While every police officer carries a Taser, this option requires close proximity, increasing the officer’s likelihood for injury. The Drag Stabilized Bean Bag Projectile allows for greater distance for deployment, reducing the risk of injury to officers and suspects.

This type of less-lethal option was only available to officers in Orleans County by the Multi Agency SWAT Team, which has an array of less-lethal options.

“The problem with only SWAT having this type of less lethal option is the time involved in getting SWAT operators on scene,” Nenni said. “Often the types of incidents that can be handled by less-lethal are quickly evolving and time is of the essence.”

The Albion Police Department being the only road patrol at this time having this option will respond anywhere they are requested to assist other agencies.

The training that Albion Police Officers went through to be certified consisted of both classroom instruction and live-fire range qualification.

The cost of the program was minimal as the guns that are used were obtained through a legal seizure process from guns that were possessed by the Police Department. The guns were seized in cases involving a crime or weapons that were turned over the department because of other situations.

“The goal of the Albion Police Department is to save lives in any way that we can,” the police chief said. “Human life regardless if a victim or suspect is precious and we must always work toward the protection of life.”

Return to top

Will seek to ‘Spark Some Action’ with focus on customer service from village and better relationships with EDA, neighboring municipalities

Kevin Doherty

ALBION – The election for the next Albion mayor will likely include three candidates. Kevin Doherty, the president of the Hoag Library board of trustees, announced today he will run for mayor under the independent “Spark Some Action.”

Doherty operates a communications maintenance business. He lives on West Park Street. He and his wife Linda have six grown children.

Doherty said the Democratic and Republican parties are backing candidates who won’t push the change that is needed in Albion.

“If re-treading candidates were an effective strategy, would the conversations continue to only be about the deterioration of downtown, property taxes and keeping everything the same? Quoting Ronald Reagan, ‘Here we go again!’”

The Republican Party on Tuesday backed Eileen Banker, a village trustee for eight years, as its mayoral candidate while the Democratic Party picked Joyce Riley. The election is March 20.

Doherty needs a petition signed by at least 100 registered voters in the village to be eligible to be on the ballot. He can start circulating petitions Feb. 6 and they are due in the Village Office by Feb. 13.

“The elected officials of our Village have and have had good hearts and great intentions, but their results have been limited,” Doherty states on his campaign website – kevindohertyformayor. “In this year when there is no incumbent mayor, I offer 40 years of experience highlighted by the building the Hoag Library, to lead the Village of Albion into a future of thoughtful progress through collaborations with all the people, not just the few and faithful Democrats or Republicans.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Kevin Doherty, president of the Hoag Library board of trustees, speaks during a ribbon-cutting celebration for the new library on July 7, 2012.

Albion is the only village in Orleans County that has candidates run under the two major political party lines.

“Although the backing of a major party organization may still be necessary for election to county-wide and higher office, limiting the pool of candidates to party faithful in a village of 6,000 people is self-defeating,” he said.

Doherty, in his role with Hoag Library, was instrumental in the design and 2012 construction of their new facility on South Main Street. Prior to starting his own business, he was superintendent of Buildings and Grounds for the Albion School District, an industrial electrician at the A&P’s soap manufacturing plant in Brockport, and a field service technician, later Operations Manager, for Ronco Communications’ Rochester branch. He was a member of the Albion School Board for 12 years.

He said there needs to be “purposeful direction by the village leadership” to entice more people to invest in the community.

“We need to separate ourselves from our peers – coming to Albion has to be the best experience for homeowners and business locators,” he said. “The library folks may tire of the mantra, but they, and the village, need to be like Wegman’s. Customer service is so consistently high that you like to shop there. Albion needs to be the place where people want to come!”

Doherty said he would “diligently drill down into the numbers” of the village budget. He was chided during a recent forum on law enforcement efficiency when he suggested the village could reduce some costs in the police budget, which accounts for about half of the village tax rate.

Doherty said “whining” about more state aid and local sales tax revenue won’t lead to results. Albion can better attract people, businesses and investment by creating a community where people want to live.

“Anyone who visits the Village MUST be impressed with our outstanding customer service and willingness to support any effort to improve the tax base,” he writes on his website. “Any Village employee or elected official who leaves a less than exemplary impression, on a vendor, a constituent, another municipal employee or visitor will have to be counseled.”

Other nearby villages – Medina, Holley, Fairport and Mount Morris – are seeing success by working with their local and state economic development officials, and real estate professionals to market their communities, Doherty said.

“We are 30 miles from the Rochester Tech Zone, even closer to the coming Alabama Technology Park in Genesee County,” he writes. “Are we ready to build houses and welcome some of their projected thousands of employees?”

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers: Joyce Riley, a retired nurse and former Albion Board of Education member, was nominated for Albion mayor during the Democratic Party caucus this evening at Hoag Library.

ALBION – The Democratic Party has three candidates to run for the Albion Village Board during the election on March 20.

The Democrats held the party caucus at the Hoag Library this evening and nominated Joyce Riley for mayor, and Jason Dragon and Sandra Walter for trustees. The positions are all for four years. The election will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall, 35-37 E. Bank St.

The Republican Party will have its caucus at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Dean London, the current mayor, has said he isn’t running again.

Riley is a former member of the Albion Board of Education. She worked as a registered nurse and later supervised an ambulatory surgical unit in Washington, D.C., overseeing 200 employees. When she retired, she moved back to Albion in 2015. She lives on Linwood Avenue.

“I think it would be very good for the village to have someone coming in who wouldn’t be an insider, someone who has open eyes,” Riley told 19 Democrats who cast votes at the caucus.

Riley said she worries about the village’s shrinking tax base and declining population. That will make it a challenge to maintain existing services without raising taxes.

“We need to form alliances and work collaboratively with the towns, county and the other villages,” Riley said. “The business owners and residents all have an investment in this community. I believe you can get good ideas from anybody. We’re married to what’s best overall.”

Riley said she would have an open-door policy and would welcome input from “people who want the best for the community.”

Sandra Walter

The Democrats also endorsed Walter and Dragon for village trustees.

Walter ran for the board four years ago and wasn’t elected. Her concerns from four years ago haven’t gone away. She said she worries about the decline in the community. She sees it when she goes for walks around Albion.

Walter retired about two years ago. She worked as a claims processor for CRFS in Albion. Before that she was a supervisor in collections for Dime Bank and North American Mortgage in Albion.

The West Bank Street resident said the village residents are overtaxed, and that has led to some of the decay in the neighborhoods. The high taxes also chase out some residents and businesses.

Jason Dragon

Walter said the Democratic Party candidates will present their platform soon, and will have ideas for reducing the village taxes.

Dragon, an East Avenue resident, works as a software engineer/consultant. He also manages the website for the Orleans County Democrats.

Dragon grew up in Albion, moved away and returned. Despite its challenges, Albion remains an attractive place to live, Dragon said.

“Our goal is to make sure Albion continues to be a good place to live in the next 20, 30 and 40 years,” he said at the caucus.

Dragon said the government may need to change how it provides services to be more efficient and in line with the resources in the community.

Return to top

‘The book is a resource for anyone dealing with transitioning students. Teachers and parents can often be bewildered by their 7th grader and changes in attitude.’

John Adriance

Former Albion Middle School students who had John Adriance for 7th grade Social Studies may remember well writing a paragraph about themselves during the first week of the school year.

Adriance taught at Albion from 1979-2006 and recently compiled an e-book with the help of his son Patrick, which features 165 of the paragraphs and is entitled, “There Are a Lot of Things I Could Tell You About Myself, But I’ll Keep It Short: Expectations, Self Perceptions, Aspirations, and Concerns on the Eve of 7th Grade.”

The paragraphs were selected out of over 2,700 which Adriance reviewed. The names of the students who wrote the paragraphs are kept private, he says, and explains that the paragraph writing assignment served a number of purposes.

“I wanted to get to know the students, their likes and dislikes so that I wouldn’t offend them,” Adriance says. “I wanted them to know I was interested in them and that I cared.”

The paragraph also provided Adriance with a sample of the students’ writing, enabling him to assess their grammar and communication skills.

Adriance saved all the paragraphs he collected over his 27 years at Albion and eventually began to consider compiling a book of them.

“The book is a resource for anyone dealing with transitioning students,” Adriance said. “Teachers and parents can often be bewildered by their 7th grader and changes in attitude.”

Seventh grade is a time of great changes for young people as they begin adolescence and move from childhood to adulthood. Young people become more social and their friendships change, Adriance observed, some begin to have boyfriends and girlfriends.

He said the paragraphs reflect the emotional and physical changes 7th graders experience and range from the unusual to the thought-provoking, providing a unique and personal window into the world of young people ages 11 and 12.

Patrick Adriance designed the cover and other illustrations in the book.

“The book helps one to learn what they value and what concerns them,” Adriance said. He added that many of the same issues came up over the nearly 30 years of paragraphs, while other things changed – more students coming from broken families, for example, and less and less use of cursive handwriting.

Adriance worked with his son, Patrick, a 1994 graduate of Spencerport Central High School, to edit and publish the book. Patrick also provided 16 illustrations for the book designed to compliment the thoughts that are conveyed and to create a humorous vision in the reader’s mind.

Patrick, who lives in North Carolina, said he enjoyed working with his dad on the project.

“I was blown away that my dad had saved all of these student passages from his entire career,” Patrick said. “To me, it just shows his dedication and love of teaching.”

Patrick said both he and his dad learned a lot about the process of publishing e-books and found formatting the illustrations proved especially challenging, but he hopes to publish more e-books in the future.

“There Are a Lot of Things I Could Tell You About Myself, But I’ll Keep it Short” was published in December 2017 through Amazon, iBooks, and Barnes and Nobel.  Click here for the Amazon link to the book.

Adriance said his years of teaching at Albion were very rewarding and he enjoyed the 7th grade age group.

“They are a nice group to teach,” he said. “They are still open-minded.”

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – Albion High School chorus members perform during a benefit today for Matt Grammatico and his family. Matt’s son Nate, far right, is in the chorus.

Matt, 45, is awaiting a heart and liver transplant.

Matt Grammatico greets some of the many friends and community members who attended the benefit today at the Carlton Rec Hall. The event continues until 7 p.m.

Grammatico, a former truck driver for 17 years for Nabisco in Batavia, opened his own automotive repair business in June in Hamlin.

Richard Flanagan, left, and Jacob Ettinger join other students in the music program in serving up spaghetti dinners today.

Brian Krieger, left, and Patrick Holman both volunteered to cook spaghetti. There was enough food for 1,000 dinners.

Nate Grammatico and his grandfather Mike Grammatico, a retired Albion music teacher, play their saxophones during the benefit.

There were also more than 100 gift baskets to be raffled off.

Return to top