Provided photos

ALBION – Albion students in Sandy Climenhaga’s AP Biology class continued an annual tradition where students fill planters with flowers. They are shown outside at the DPW last week. The bio students have been providing this community service for several years.

It is a fitting end to the year-long class, Climenhaga said. Students study the importance of plants as well as structure and biological properties.

Pictured in front include Emily Mergler, Sydney Mulka and Cameron Bell. In back are Melissa Robinson, Ashley Ames, Gavin Reid, Fjolla Bela and Alexa Grandy.

The group is shown working on the flowers in planters at the Main Street municipal lot. Pictured include Sandy Climenhaga, Sierra Kast, Jacob Thom, Cliff Thom, Jill Albertson, Ashley Ames, Tyler Climenhaga, Dean Marconi and Ziggy the dog.

Press Release, Albion Police Department

ALBION – The Albion Police Department will be conducting a Child Safety Seat Check event in the parking lot of COVA on Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. That is located at 239 South Main St.

This check event, which is sponsored by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and COVA, will allow parents and guardians to have their child seats inspected by a Child Safety Seat Technician. The technicians will determine if the child safety seat will provide adequate protection for the child or if a new child safety seat is needed.

The Albion Police Department received a Child Passenger Safety Program grant from the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. This grant funding allows the Albion Police Department to purchase child safety seats and other related items for conducting child seat inspections. The funding is used to provide child safety seats to persons who currently have seats that do not meet safety standards following an inspection conducted by an Albion Police Safety Seat Technician.

Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% when used correctly. However, misuse reduces effectiveness. More than 90% of child safety seats are used improperly. The Albion Police Department will continue to address this issue by participating in the New York State Child Passenger Safety Grant Program and conduct Safety Seat Inspection Checks.

Residents may call the Albion Police Department anytime at (585) 589-5627 and schedule an individual appointment to have their child safety seat inspected.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Members of the VFW and American Legion posts carry flags at the beginning of a processional on Platt Street in front of the VFW Post. The Albion Village Hall and Police Station are in back.

For the second year there wasn’t a typical Memorial Day parade in Albion. Last year’s parade and service were cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns and restrictions.

The parade route usually starts on Main Street and heads to Route 31, ending at the middle school lawn and memorial.

The local veterans wanted a service this year, and opted for a smaller route and fewer parade participants. The Albion marching band and local scouts weren’t in the parade.

The procession passed by the Orleans County Courthouse on East State Street. Garland Miller, a Word War II veteran, served as honorary parade marshal. He rode in a Kubota driven by his son, Lynn Miller, a veteran who lives in Holley.

The Color Guard rounds the corner along the sidewalk at State and Main streets, headed to the service at the new veterans memorial that was dedicated last year by the Knights of Columbus.

Garland Miller, 95, is escorted in the Kubota by his son, Lynn. During World War II, Miller was an ambulance driver in the Pacific Theater. After the war he worked 21 years as a heavy equipment mechanic for the state Department of Transportation in Pittsford and then close to home in Albion. He also drove a tractor-trailer for 28 years and worked part-time for an auctioneer in Middleport.

This group of veterans bows their heads during a prayer by Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion.

Tim Lindsay said 1.3 million Americans have given their lives in military service for the country in the past 250 years. That sacrifice has made the country – and the world – a better and safer place, Lindsay said.

Lindsay quoted from President Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863, noting the soldiers honored on Memorial Day “gave the last full measure of devotion” to the country.

Lindsay prayed that God would continue to bless the United States keep his “providential hand upon us.”

This group gathers on the Courthouse Square lawn by a veterans’ memorial dedicated last year by the Knights of Columbus.

Tim Archer, a service learning teacher at Albion, has led seventh-graders in several community projects honoring veterans. He said his goal is to help the students become better citizens.

Archer shared that he recently walked at Mount Albion Cemetery and stopped by the graves of six local men who died defending the country over three generations.

One of the soldiers, Jason Johnston, was in Archer’s class.

Archer highlighted these soldiers:

• Private First Class Augustus J. Rogers, Co. B, 315th Infantry, died in 1944 at age 19
• S/Sgt. Howard W. Tucker, Co. M. 385th Infantry, 76th Division, died in 1945 at age 25
• Pvt. Robert Casselman, 79th Qm. Depot, died in 1954 at age 24
• John J. Hornyak, Marine Corps in Vietnam, died in 1966 at age 28
• Pvt. First Class Paul D. Ormand, security agency in Vietnam, died in 1975 at age 19
• Army Spec. Jason M. Johnston, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan, died in 2009 at age 24.

“Their deeds and sacrifice speak to us today — in this great land that God has ordained and blessed. It is our responsibility to remember, preserve and pass on to the next generation those standards and expectations that make America the greatest nation on earth.”

Archer also shared that his students are working on an interpretive panel that would be installed in front of the Treasurer’s Office on East Park Street. That building was the first home for the Sheret Post of the American Legion and was its home from 1935 until 1980.

It was named for Sgt. James Sheret, who died on Sept. 29, 1918 in World War I. Sheret was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for the bravery of his actions during the attack on the Hindenburg Line. General John Pershing considered “one of the hundred heroes of WW1”.

Sgt. Sheret’s brother Egbert, a machine gunner, was also killed in action that day and their younger brother, Andrew, was severely injured.

Issac Robinson, a former combat medic, fires as part of a 21-gun salute near the end of today’s Memorial Day observance. Jim Hollinger, left, and Matt Passarell were part of the Color Guard.

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday voted in favor of four solar projects in county with two in Albion, one in Kendall and one in Carlton.

The Planning Board recommended each town accept the site plans and issue permits for the projects. The projects are all on land that is currently being farmed.

In Albion, a 5-megawatt project with about 40,000 solar panels is proposed at 3852 Long Bridge Rd., on land owned by Brad Bokman near Route 31. The solar arrays will generate enough power for about 700-900 homes, a company representative said by Zoom videoconferencing during Thursday’s meeting.

U.S. Light and Energy in Latham, NY, will use 66 acres of a 92-acre parcel for the ground-mounted solar system. The project includes electrical equipment with transformers on concrete pads, an accessory building, 1,560 linear feet of electrical line, a chain-link fence and an access drive off Long Bridge Road. The landscaping plan also calls for 553 plants, with 292 Wichita Blue Juniper trees.

County planners recommended Albion require an existing berm on the property’s western border remain to provide a buffer for a neighboring house made of Medina sandstone in the Greek Revival architectural style. That house would be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, according to a letter from Oct. 16, 2020 from Robyn Sedgwick, historic site restoration coordinator for the State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

• The other project in Albion is at 3858 Gaines Basin Rd., on land owned by Donna Laubacher. This site is just south of Allen Road.

The 2.5 megawatt solar system with about 8,100 solar panels would use 15.6 acres of the land. AES DE DevCo NC LLC is the developer. The company is based in Louisville, Colo.

AES said the project is expected to have a useful life of 25 years or longer. The landscaping plan includes 470 deciduous and evergreen trees with 183 Northern White Cedars, along with shrubs and pollinators.

• In Kendall, a 5-megawatt project is proposed for 27 acres on Center Road on land owned by Lance Manville of Hilton.

The developer of the project is DG New York LLC, based in Juno Beach, Fla. The project is at 1770 Center Rd., the northwest intersection of Center Road and Kenmore Road.

• In Carlton, a 4.4 megawatt project would be on 26.7 acres at 13759 Waterport-Carlton Rd., land owned by Michael and Jessica Connor.

The developer of the project is Omni Navitas Holdings LLC in Boston, Mass.

The company is proposing 12,700 solar panels, new electrical equipment including four transformers on concrete pads, and 2,417 feet of underground electrical wiring. There would be an access drive on Park Avenue. The solar system would be surrounded with a chain-link fence.

Route won’t include Main Street, which is posted detour with Knowlesville bridge out

ALBION – Garland Miller, a World War II veteran, was an ambulance driver in the Pacific Theater. On Monday, he will serve as honorary parade marshal during Albion’s scaled-down Memorial Day observance.

There won’t be a parade down Main Street, ending at the middle school front lawn due to Covid-19 concerns. There won’t be a marching band and other service organizations for the parade and memorial service.

Last year’s Memorial Day observance was cancelled. This year, the VFW and American Legion are planning a smaller-scale observance, with veterans gathering at the VFW on Platt Street at about 10:30 a.m. The group will then proceed to the Courthouse lawn for an observance at the new veterans’ memorial that was erected by the Knights of Columbus. (The Knights will have a ceremony there too on Monday at 9 a.m. with a bagpiper.)

The veterans were planning to march from the VFW down Bank Street and then turn left onto Main Street. But Route 98 is a posted detour with the Route 31 bridge in Knowlesville currently closed. Because of that, the Department of Transportation was unwilling to close Main Street for the procession, said Gary Befus, who is helping to organize the procession.

The VFW and Legion have a new route, with veterans gathering at the VFW, processing south on Platt Street, then turning right (west) onto State Street, and then taking a left (south) at the Main Street traffic light. They will then march single file down the sidewalk to the veterans’ memorial on the Courthouse lawn, Befus said.

Any local veteran is welcome to join in the procession. At the memorial the service will begin at 11 a.m. with brief remarks from Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, and Tim Archer, an Albion teacher who will highlight some of the service-learning projects by his students that have honored veterans.

Mr. Miller, 95, is expected to join in the procession, riding in a Kubota. After serving in World War II, he worked 21 years as a heavy equipment mechanic for the state Department of Transportation in Pittsford and then close to home in Albion. He also drove a tractor-trailer for 28 years and worked part-time for an auctioneer in Middleport.

He has been busy in his retirement, visiting all 50 states. He stays active, and has been in the news for completing puzzles with several thousand pieces.

Toyz n Kandy owner says site connects to nostalgia, simpler times

Photos by Tom Rivers: Dan Conrad is opening Toyz n Kandy today in the Arnold Gregory Office Building at 243 South Main St. He is on the second floor at suite 235.

ALBION – Dan Conrad hears lots of talk about the good ole’ days. Those remembrances often involve penny candy and simple toys – nothing with electronics.

Conrad, 38, remembers as a kid walking to Fischer’s Newsstand and getting a piece of candy with his buddies. Fischer’s closed on April 30, 2015.

Conrad is opening a candy store today. Toyz n Kandy has a selection of sweets and some old-fashioned toys, including whoopee cushions, Friendship Bracelets, toy harmonicas, chalk and game balls.

Conrad tried to find penny candies, but these days the low price is a nickel for small tootsie rolls and Jolly Ranchers. He has an array of other candy with nothing more than $2.

“We’re trying to bring back the nostalgia, the good times,” Conrad said on Wednesday at the site at the Arnold Gregory Office Building. He is on the second floor next to the Tree House, a childcare and kids’ party business, and also Best of Tymes Party Rentals.

Conrad sees some crossover appeal in the other businesses on the second floor. He said the building is bustling with many other tenants.

He sees the current spot for Toyz n Kandy as the beginning of a business he hopes will expand in the future with root beer floats, ice cream and a wider selection of items. He credited his kids, ages 11 and 4, for helping to pick out the merchandise.

He pushed to open today so people could load up on treats and toys before the Memorial Day weekend. He will have a grand opening today from 2 to 7 p.m., with Golden Tickets at other businesses in the building as part of a scavenger hunt with candy prizes.

Conrad is looking to have the site also be a children’s book share, where people can borrow books for free. He also is planning to do monthly craft days, and is looking to be a vendor at local festivals and other community events.

He also is willing to supply candy and toys for birthday parties, private events and fundraisers.

Conrad will be running the store part-time while working full-time for the Arc of Genesee Orleans. He also is on the board for Hoag Library and COVA, and is president of the Albion Lions Club.

“This is just another way to do something for the kids and the community,” Conrad said about the store.

Dan Conrad on Wednesday is shown getting ready for today’s grand opening from 2 to 7 p.m.

Provided photos

ALBION – Students in the Interact Club at Albion High School planted flowers on Wednesday morning at Mount Albion Cemetery. The flowers were donated by Navarra’s Farm Market and Greenhouse.

Pictured from left include Kenzi Hapeman, Emily Mergler, Ally Mathes and Byrne Dysard.

The students are pictured with Interact Club Advisor Tim Archer. From left include Kenzi Hapeman, Byrne Dysard, Tim Archer, Emily Mergler and Ally Mathes.

Former teacher Doug Mergler, Emily’s father, helped with the effort.

Kristen Ostrander is fifth owner in business’s 85 years

Photos by Tom Rivers: Kristen Ostrander is shown today at Bloom’s Flower Shop at 139 South Main St. in Albion. She bought the business on May 10 from Debbie London, the owner for 21 years.

ALBION – One of Albion’s mainstay businesses, Bloom’s Flower Shop, has a new owner following 21 years of Debbie London leading the Bloom’s.

Kristen Ostrander closed on the sale on May 10. She is grateful and humbled to take the reins of the floral shop that has been a part of so many important moments for families, going back 85 years. (Bloom’s created the floral arrangements for Ostrander’s wedding and also at several of her family funerals.”

“Bloom’s will always have a special place in my heart,” Ostrander said today at the business, located at 139 South Main St.

Ostrander, 39, is a Kendall resident. She and her husband Jon, also 39, started investing in Albion about two years ago. They own five duplexes and a single-family residence in Albion.

Leann Coke, a floral designer at Bloom’s, works on an arrangement this morning.

Mrs. Ostrander and her husband turned to becoming landlords and real estate about two years ago, looking to become their own bosses. However, she was still working as a sales and marketing representative for a health insurance company. Her husband spotted an ad in the Lake Country Pennysaver that Bloom’s was for sale.

He thought his wife would be a good fit for the business. She is creative, for years making wreaths, crafts, welcome signs, centerpieces and boutonnieres.

She reached a deal with London and has been running the business for about two weeks now.

“Albion needs Bloom’s,” Ostrander said. “Bloom’s has been a staple here for so many years.”

She is planning to keep the business with the same friendly touch as with London. Ostrander and her husband are planning to replace the floors and paint the interior. Ostrander also has started a “Bloom’s Box” subscription service where people can get regular deliveries of flowers as often as they like, perhaps monthly or major holidays.

Ostrander takes over during a busy time with families wanting fresh flowers at graves ahead of Memorial Day. It’s also dance recital season, and next month will be proms and high school graduations. The summer will be busy with weddings and graduation parties.

Bloom’s also offers chocolates, stuffed animals, balloons, and is looking to add more gift items and candles.

Leann Coke is working as a floral designer for Ostrander at Bloom’s. She said she is having a blast.

“You touch so many lives in a floral shop,” Coke said. “You see so much love, and you can help comfort people in the sad times.”

For more on Bloom’s, click here.

Photos courtesy of Albion Central School – First Row, from left: Hannah Papponetti, Leah Pritchard and Belen Rosario Soto. Second Row: Aurora Serafin, Alyson Knaak, Kyle Kuehne, Elijah Lloyd, Charley London, Allison Mathes, Bailey Nesbitt and Paris Smith. Third Row: Leah Kania, Eli Pask, Zachary Olles, Reuben Rivers, Presley Smith, Sydney Mulka and Colleen Usselman. Missing from photo: Adrian Kingdollar.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – Albion High School inducted 38 students into the National Honor Society (NHS) on May 12.

Split into two in-person events so as to limit the number of people gathered at one time, the ceremony was once again held in the Middle School Auditorium, NHS Advisor Suzane Newton explained.

“It was a night to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of these students in the areas of character, service, leadership, and scholarship,” Newton said. “The current officers led the inductees through the ceremony and we were grateful to be able to have an in-person ceremony this year.”

In order to join, inductees needed to meet the criteria, set by NHS, for their scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

First Row: (left to right) Emily Graham, Kenzi Hapeman and Emily Harling. Second Row: Olivia Bieber, Abigail Allen, Carson Bader, James Beach, Katelyn Beach, Nicolina Creasey and Ann Faery. Third Row: Zachary Albright, Hannah Coolbaugh, Bailey Blanchard, Collin Capurso, Anthony Freeman, Jeffrey Brown, Ethan Ferchen and Tyler Gibson. Missing from photo: Fjolla Bela.

After reciting the NHS pledge, the students were received by the club officers, Alexa Grandy (Secretary), Saleya Williams (Treasurer), Emily Mergler (Vice-President), and Ashley Ames (President), who invited the newly inducted members on stage to sign the membership book, receive their membership pin, and their certificate.

The newly inducted NHS members include Zachary Albright, Abigail Allen, Carson Bader, James Beach, Katelyn Beach, Fjolla Bela, Olivia Bieber, Bailey Blanchard, Jeffrey Brown, Hannah Coolbaugh, Collin Capurso, Nicolina Creasey, Ann Faery, Ethan Ferchen, Anthony Freeman, Tyler Gibson, Emily Graham, Kenzi Hapeman, Emily Harling, Leah Kania, Alyson Knaak, Adrian Kingdollar, Kyle Kuehne, Elijah Lloyd, Charley London, Allison Mathes, Sydney Mulka, Bailey Nesbitt, Zachary Olles, Hannah Papponetti, Eli Pask, Leah Pritchard, Reuben Rivers, Belen Rosario Soto, Aurora Serafin, Paris Smith, Presley Smith, and Colleen Usselman.

Congratulations everyone!

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Jim Horncastle, master of the Albion Renovation Lodge 97, presents an honorary membership to Don Ross on Friday evening, which was also on Ross’s 101^st birthday.

Ross celebrated his birthday at Tillman’s Village Inn with family and friends, including many local Masons. Ross is a member of the Towpath Lodge, which includes Medina and Middleport Masons.

Horncastle and the Albion Masons wanted to recognize Ross, who has been a Mason for 78 years.

“In our area he is very well known,” Horncastle said. “He’s been around for years and years. It’s very inspiring for guys like me.”

Ross, a Barre resident, ran a plumbing business for 40 years in Albion. He joined the Masons when he was 22. He was a pin boy as a kid, setting up bowling pins on two lanes owned by the Masonic Lodge. The members were always good to him, and welcomed him to join the lodge as a young adult. Ross served the lodge in many roles over the past 78 years.

Ross’s late wife, Bernadine, also has been a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for 77 years.

Provided photo: Don Ross is pictured with some of the members of the Masonic Lodge in Albion including from left: Kyle Webb, Jim Horncastle, Joe Martillotta and Tim McGee.

The Albion lodge currently has 55 members.

“We’re here to do what we can for the community,” Horncastle said. “In our lodge there are many wonderful mentors. It’s a chance to spend time with people I consider brothers.”